Career
He represented the electoral district of Geelong for the Australian Labor Party. Brownbill was born in Newtown, a suburb of Geelong in 1864. Brownbill worked initially in his brother"s jewellery shop, but became a baker"s apprentice and by around 1895 was a master baker.
In 1896, Brownbill was elected to the Geelong City Council, and served as Mayor of Geelong from 1914 to 1915.
In 1920, he ran for election to state parliament, winning the seat of Geelong for the Labor Party. In 1932, he was defeated in the election by Edward Austin, but re-contested and regained the seat in 1935.
Brownbill died in 1938, and the ensuing by-election saw his widow, Fanny Brownbill, elected as his replacement—the first woman elected to a parliamentary seat in Victoria.
