Born in Tyler's Hill, Buckinghamshire, Benjamin Hoare came with his family to Australia as assisted immigrants in 1855, settling in Portland, Victoria. Hoare moved to South Australia in 1865, working as a printer for The Advertiser and then becoming editor of the Gawler Bunyip. His two poetic works were published at this time.
Returning to Victoria he founded and edited the Evening Times (1871), the Evening Star (1879) in Geelong and the Colac Reformer. He joined the editorial staff of the Melbourne Daily Telegraph in 1886, later becoming leader writer for The Age (Melbourne) from 1890 until 1914 when he retired, but continued to write a weekly article until 1921.
Hoare was prominent in Catholic Church affairs and had a number of religious tracts and studies published by the Australian Catholic Truth Society, receiving the Cross 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice' for services to Catholic literature. In 1916, Hoare had a serious disagreement with Archbishop Mannix of Melbourne over the issue of conscription. The difference in opinion led Hoare to publicly criticise Mannix in The Age, which brought about his dismissal from the executive of the Australian Catholic Truth Society.
Hoare also had a number of political and economic papers published by the Progressive and Economic Association, Melbourne, and wrote numerous works about war, and society in general.
Source: Cecily Close, 'Hoare, Benjamin (1842–1932)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hoare-benjamin-6689/text11537
Sighted: 11 January 2005.
