Frederick William Haddon

Frederick William Haddon (8 February 1839 – 7 March 1906) was an English-born Australian journalist and newspaper editor.

[1] Haddon was educated at private schools and in 1859 became assistant-secretary of the Statistical Society of London and of the Institute of Actuaries.

It was a period of great developments in Victoria, and under Haddon's editorship the Argus, while distinctly conservative served a most useful purpose in advocating the claims of the primary producers, and endeavouring to keep protective duties within reasonable bounds.

It fought with success for non-political control of government departments and purity of administration, with the result that Victoria set a high standard among the colonies in these matters.

As an editor, he refused to be affected by popular excitement, and though his paper was on occasions criticised for not taking a stronger stand, he probably did all that could be done when it is remembered how strong the remarkable personality of David Syme had made The Age, which for a great part of the period was issued at a lower price than the Argus, and had a much larger circulation.