William "Bill" Edwards

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 (1874–1956)

Marion (Bill) Edwards aka William Ernest Edwards was an Australian who worked as a barman, pony trainer and bookmaker. Edwards has been described as "Australia's first transgender celebrity"

Edwards was said to be born in the United Kingdom but the ADB biography (link below) records the birth as being in Murchison in Victoria in 1874.

Edwards went through a marriage ceremony at St Francis' Church, the oldest Catholic church in Melbourne on the millennial New Years Day in 1900. The bride was Lucy Minihan. Minihan was a 30 year old widow who owned a lodging-house. The couple separated but Lucy remained a friend. When Edwards was first arrested in 1905 suspected of a hotel burglary it was Lucy who found the £50 required to pay the bail. Edwards however ignored the obligation to appear in court and went to Queensland, so it was Lucy who was sentenced to a month in jail.

In 1906 Edwards came to the public's notice after "William Edwards" was arrested again. Edwards was again accused of burglary. The arresting officer Constable Donnely had known Edwards for some time as a man who worked at a local bar. Donnelly was later told that the person he had arrested was a woman. The charges were later dismissed. But Edwards was profiled in a Brisbane weekly newspaper in October 1907.

Edwards wrote a biography that was partly fiction. The book was titled Life and Adventures of Marion-Bill-Edwards, the most celebrated Man-Woman of Modern Times. Exciting Incidents… Strange Sensations told in a Graphic Manner by Herself. and it included photographs of Edwards wearing men's and women's clothing. The book was published in 1907.

Edwards was profiled by the media, and he explained that one of the reasons for dressing in masculine attire was that women generally earned a pound a week and as a man, Edwards earned over two.

A newspaper article in 1927 referred to him as a pony trainer at Port Melbourne. Living in West Melbourne from 1930, his notoriety forgotten, but still in male attire, he worked in hotels, iron foundries and factories, and as a starting price bookmaker. Electoral rolls gave Edward's occupation as dyer. Neighbours knew he 'was female' but described him later as an 'old gentleman'. Bill preferred to appear as a male. Nevertheless, near the end of his life the Mount Royal Geriatric Home forced him to dress in feminine attire. He died on 22 March 1956 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and was buried in Fawkner cemetery. His death certificate stated wrongly that he was Sarah Isobel, known as Marion Edwards, an actress, and gave incorrect details of his parents.

Introduction from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_(Bill)_Edwards and https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/edwards-marion-bill-12901

Image: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-401497606/view?partId=nla.obj-401516784#page/n105/mode/1up