The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/Holroyd, His Honour Arthur Todd
Holroyd, His Honour Arthur Todd, M.D., F.L.S., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., sometime Puisne Judge, New South Wales, was born in London on Dec. 1st, 1806, and educated at the Ripon Grammar School. In 1827 he entered at Christ College, Cambridge, as a medical student, and also at the University of Edinburgh, becoming M.D. of the latter in 1830, and M.B. of Cambridge and Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1832. Having decided to relinquish the medical profession, he entered himself as a law-student at Lincoln's Inn, but almost immediately afterwards (June 1835) started on his travels. After visiting Italy, he reached Alexandria in Sept. 1836, and made a most exhaustive tour of Egypt and the Soudan, penetrating to Khartoum. On his return he remonstrated with the Egyptian Government on the subject of the slave trade, and with some success. Nov. 1838 found him again in London, after a visit to Palestine and Syria. In 1841 he was called to the bar, and emigrated in 1843 to New Zealand, where he remained for two years. In 1845 he settled in Sydney, N.S.W., and was admitted to the bar of that colony in Oct 1845. From 1851 to 1856 he represented the western boroughs (Bathurst and Carcoar) in the old Legislative Council of New South Wales; and on the concession of responsible Government in the latter year was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the same constituency, for which he sat till 1858, when he was defeated, but two years later was elected for Parramatta, and was for some time Chairman of Committees. He was Minister for Public Works in Mr. (afterwards Sir) James Martin's first Administration from Oct. 1863 to Feb. 1865. In 1866 he was appointed Master in Equity of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and was an acting Supreme Court Judge in 1879. He died on June 16th, 1887.