Early Life and Legal Career
Grant was born at Alvie, Inverness-shire, Scotland, son of Louis Grant and his wife Isabella, née McBean. He emigrated to Sydney with his parents in 1836 and was articled to Chambers and Thurlow, solicitors. In 1844 he paid a visit to New Zealand and served as a volunteer in the Flagstaff War against the Māoris. Returning to Australia he was admitted to practise as an attorney and solicitor in 1847, and became a partner of Mr Thurlow. In 1850, with a partner, he chartered a vessel and took supplies to California, and in June 1851 was still at San Francisco. Grant returned to Australia and in 1853 was a successful miner at Bendigo, Victoria. He was practising as a solicitor at Melbourne in 1854, and showed much sympathy for the diggers (miners) at the time of the Eureka rebellion in December 1854. The mayor of Melbourne, John Thomas Smith, had called a meeting at the town hall to concert measures for keeping law and order. Grant and Dr J. H. Owens issued a placard asking the public not to go to the town hall, but to attend an open air meeting on the present site of St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne. About 5000 people attended. Grant was one of the speakers and a committee was appointed to interview the governor. At the trial of the Ballarat miners Grant acted as their attorney without fee.
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