Alfred Farthing

Alfred Alexander Farthing (1 September 1872 – 9 November 1953) was an Australian politician.

Farthing was born in Koroit to farmer James Haley Farthing and Margaret Leishman.¹ He attended the local state school and then Melbourne Teachers' College, becoming a schoolteacher. Around 1899 he married Elizabeth Parker, with whom he had three children. He was also a cyclist,¹ and his winnings from competitions provided the funds for him to become a publican. He owned a number of hotels, typically buying struggling businesses and revitalising them to sell at a profit.¹

In 1911, Farthing was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for East Melbourne.² He was unseated in August 1912 after illegal practices were identified from his campaign, but was re-elected at the subsequent by-election in October.² A Liberal, he joined the "Economy" faction of the newly-formed Nationalist Party in 1917. He voted against the 1924 redistribution bill and was denied Nationalist endorsement at that year's election, but he was re-elected anyway and soon re-joined his former party. His seat was abolished in 1927 and he was defeated running for Caulfield.¹

Farthing died in East Hawthorn in 1953.²