October 1859 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly (the Lower House) for Richmond, and he sat in the house for the same constituency till his retirement fifteen years later. He entered the cabinet of William Nicholson on 25 Nov. 1859 as vice-president of the Board of Lands and Works and commissioner of public works. He held the office till 3 Sept. 1860. When James M'Culloch formed a ministry on 27 June 1863, Francis became commissioner of trade and customs, and retired with his chief 6 May 1868. M'Culloch held office for a third time, 9 April 1870–19 June 1871, when Francis joined him as treasurer. Francis supported the protectionist revision of the tariff, 1865–6, and was always a protectionist, although he deemed five and ten per cent. duties adequate to protect native industries. After the fall of Charles Gavan Duffy's administration in June 1872, Francis was entrusted by Viscount Canterbury, the governor, with the formation of a ministry. He retired on 3 July 1874, having passed a free education act and other important measures, including railway bills involving an expenditure of 2,250,000l. A dangerous attack of pleurisy was the chief cause of his resignation. On recovery he paid a long visit to England. In 1878 he reentered political life, and was returned to the Victoria Assembly as member for Warrnambool. On the retirement of Sir James m'Culloch he took office once again under James Service, but a painful illness compelled him to retire into private life in 1882. Francis frequently declined the honour of knighthood, and business reasons prevented his acceptance of the post of agent-general for the colony in London, when offered him by Sir Bryan O'Loghlan. Francis was not a polished speaker, but his integrity gave him enormous influence in the assembly. As premier he avoided constitutional strife or sensational appeals to the people. His practical good sense was widely appreciated. He died at Queenscliff, Victoria, on 25 Jan. 1884, and was buried privately, according to the wishes of his family, on 28 Jan.
[Private information; Heaton's Australian Dict. pp. 72–3, 160–2; Times, 29 Jan. 1884.]
FRANCIS, JOHN (1780–1861), sculptor, was born in Lincolnshire 3 Sept. 1780, and brought up to farming, but showing some talent for the arts, he was advised by a few friends to settle in London, where he became a pupil of Chantrey. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1820 a bust of T. W. Coke, esq., and another of Captain Sir W. Bolton, R.N. At this period his residence was at Thornham, Norfolk. In 1822, when he sent to the same institution a bust of Miss Horatia Nelson, he was living at 2 New Norfolk Street, Park Lane. In 1844 he executed by command of her majesty in marble a bust of his Royal Highness Prince Albert, and a few years earlier a bust of Queen Victoria, now in the hall of the Reform Club. About this period Francis removed to 56 Albany Street, Regent's Park. Among his other works may be mentioned the following: Busts of the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk (1844); bust in bronze of the Duke of Sussex (1847); marble bust of Lord John Russell, now in the National Portrait Gallery (1848); a bronze medal of Eos, a favourite greyhound of Prince Albert (1848); marble bust of the Hon. Edward Petre (1848); four busts, in marble, of various members of the Eaton family (1851); posthumous bust of the Earl of Carlisle (1852); bust of the Duke of Wellington, now in the National Portrait Gallery (1852); posthumous bust of the Hon. and Rev. James Norton (1854); bust of Vice-admiral Sir Charles Napier (1855); cabinet bust of the Right Hon. Earl of Aberdeen (1856). Francis died in Albany Street, 30 Aug. 1861.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists.]
FRANCIS, JOHN (1811–1882), publisher of the ‘Athenæum,’ was born in Bermondsey on 18 July 1811. His father, James Parker Francis of Saffron Walden, Essex, married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Perkins of Ware, and came to London to carry on the business of a leather-dresser. For twenty-five years he was honorary secretary of the Leather-dressers' Trades Union, and died 24 Aug. 1850, aged 73. John received his earliest education from F. Painter, in Long Lane, Bermondsey. He afterwards attended a nonconformist school in Unicorn Yard, Tooley Street, Southwark, the master of which helped him in 1823 to apprentice himself to E. Marlborough, the well-known newspaper agent, 4 Ave Maria Lane. Having served his full time, in September 1831 he entered the office of the ‘Athenæum’ as a junior clerk, but he showed such ability that he became business manager and publisher of the journal on 4 Oct. At fourteen years of age he taught in the Sunday school of Dr. John Rippon's chapel, Carter Lane, Southwark, and was superintendent when Dr. Rippon removed to New Park Street in 1833. In 1849 Francis joined the new Bloomsbury Chapel under the pastorate of Dr. William Brock, and did good service as a district visitor in St. Giles's. At an early period of his business career his attention was drawn to the heavy fiscal restrictions on the newspaper press, and he took an active and prominent
