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Sir Henry Parkes Henry Parkes was born on 27 May 1815 in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, England. His parents were farmers and he received little schooling as a boy. The family was forced to move to Birmingham to seek employment in the wake of falling wheat prices. In 1836 Henry Parkes married Clarinda Varney and had two children, both which died as infants. A few years later they left England for Australia, with a free place on an emigrant ship, arriving in Australia in 1839. He had only three shillings to his name when he arrived, but soon went into politics and business, at one stage owning the Empire newspaper. He was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1854 and he successfully campaigned against the transportation of convicts to Australia. His political career was interrupted slightly when he was investigated for fraud charges, with his debts exceeding 48,500 pounds ($100,000). But he turned to old friends and was re-elected. He introduced the Public Schools Act in 1866, which laid the foundation for free public education in Sydney. Later, he introduced the Public Instruction Act of 1880, which introduced compulsory free education and severed ties between the church and public schools. He also introduced t