Edward Curr

Edward Curr
Born	Template:Birth date Sheffield, England
Died	November 16, 1850(1850-11-16) (aged 52)
Occupation(s)	Settler, pastoralist, politician
Years active	1820–1850
Known for	Manager of Van Diemen's Land Company; member of Legislative Councils of Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales; advocate for Victoria's separation

Edward Curr (1 July 1798 – 16 November 1850) was a settler and political figure in Australia. Originating from Sheffield, England, he arrived at Hobart Town in February 1820 and made a return trip to England in 1823. The following year, in 1824, Curr was appointed as the manager of the newly established Van Diemen's Land Company, which had secured ownership of 250,000 acres in the colony’s northwest.

Curr came back to Hobart in May 1826 and undertook surveys of the company’s landholdings. By September of that year, he had founded the company's headquarters at Circular Head.

This territory was originally inhabited by the Peerapper people, part of the Aboriginal Tasmanians. Under Curr’s leadership, the Van Diemen's Land Company aggressively expanded sheep grazing and agricultural activities, enforcing a harsh policy aimed at either displacing or eradicating the Indigenous inhabitants. Numerous violent incidents took place during this era, including the infamous Cape Grim massacre. By 1835, through killings and forced relocations to the Wybalenna Aboriginal Establishment on Flinders Island, the Peerapper population was effectively wiped out from their ancestral lands.

Curr held a seat on the Legislative Council of Van Diemen's Land from 1825 until 1826. Being a Roman Catholic, he declined to swear the mandated anti-Catholic oath; nevertheless, Governor Arthur exempted him from this obligation after consulting with the Secretary for Colonies.

In 1839, Curr traveled to Melbourne and eventually made it his home in 1842. He was elected twice to represent the District of Port Phillip—which later became Victoria—in the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1845 and 1849.</ref> From 1844 until his passing in 1850, Curr was a prominent proponent for Victoria’s separation from New South Wales, earning recognition as the "Father of Separation".

Curr was married to Elizabeth and fathered eleven children who survived infancy, including his eldest son, Edward Micklethwaite Curr. He also named the town of Sheffield, Tasmania after his birthplace in England.