Edward Dickens

Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens (13 March 1852 – 23 January 1902) was English novelist Charles Dickens' youngest son and an Australian politician.

Dickens was clearly named after Edward Bulwer-Lytton—nowadays much satirised for the famous opening line of his 1830 novel "Paul Clifford", "It was a dark and stormy night"—and educated at Tunbridge Wells in Kent at a private school owned by the Reverend W. C Sawyer, later Anglican bishop of Armidale and Grafton. He also attended lectures at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.cite web
title =Mr Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens (1852 - 1902)
work =Members of Parliament
publisher =Parliament of New South Wales
url =http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1fb6ebed995667c2ca256ea100825164/1cf899a3e82148a1ca256e24000da516!OpenDocument
accessdate = 2007-09-08 ] Australian Dictionary of Biography
last=Lansbury
first= Coral
coauthor=
authorlink= Coral Lansbury
year=1972
id=A040065b
title= Dickens, Charles (1812 - 1870)
accessdate=2007-09-08]

Charles Dickens encouraged Edward Dickens along with his elder brother Alfred d'Orsay Tennyson Dickens to migrate to Australia, which he saw as a land of opportunity. Alfred migrated in 1865 and Edward in 1869. Edward Dickens settled at Wilcannia, New South Wales where he became manager of Momba station. He married Constance Desailly, the daughter of a local property-owner, in 1880. He opened a stock and station agency, was elected as an alderman of Bourke Shire Council and bought a share in Yanda station near Bourke. He lost heavily from bad seasons and in 1886 he was appointed government inspector of runs in the Bourke District. He was never able to pay back a loan of ₤800 from his most successful brother, Henry.cite web
first=Steve
last=Meacham
title =Dickens of a time
publisher =The Sydney Morning Herald
date=December 24 2002
url =http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/23/1040511009543.html
accessdate = 2007-09-08 ]

Dickens was elected as the member for Wilcannia in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1889 and held the seat until defeated by the Labor Party candidate, Richard Sleath in 1894. He subsequently had difficulty finding employment and died in Moree in debt and childless. He was buried in Moree cemetery. [cite web
title =Grave Photo Link
publisher =National Library of Australia
url =http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an11306721-18
accessdate = 2007-09-09 ]

Notes

Persondata
NAME=Dickens, Edward Bulwer Lytton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Charles Dickens' son and New South Wales politician
DATE OF BIRTH= 13 March 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH=England
DATE OF DEATH= 23 January 1902
PLACE OF DEATH=Moree, New South Wales