Frederick Sargood was born on 30 May 1834 in Walworth, England. His father was a merchant and his mother the daughter of a chief cashier with the Bank of England. He is supposed to have been educated in 'private schools' in England, the names of which are unknown. In February 1850 his family sailed for Melbourne on the Clifton.

Aged sixteen, Frederick first worked as a clerk in the Public Works Department. He soon joined his father's wholesale softgoods business, Sargood, King & Co. In 1852-54 he managed the firm's business in the Castlemaine-Bendigo district.

In 1858 he married Marian Australia, the daughter of another merchant, George Rolfe.

In 1859 Sargood became a junior partner in the family business.

His father, a radical in politics, was a member of the Legislative Council for Melbourne from 1853 till responsible government was introduced in 1856, when he changed to the Legislative Assembly. He was then the member for St Kilda. In 1857 he returned to England. His father-in-law, George Rolfe also later became a member of the Legislative Council.

Frederick Sargood entered the Legislative Council in 1874 at a by-election for the Central Province. After his wife died in childbirth in January 1880, Sargood resigned from the Legislative Council. He and his family travelled to England, returning to Australia in October 1882 with his second wife, Julia Tomlin, aged 34.

Sargood stood for the Legislative Council seat of South Yarra which he held from 1882 till 1901. In 1883 he became Victoria's first minister for defence in the Service-Berry government. Sargood favoured free trade but opposed the idea of 'one man one vote'. A supporter of federation, in 1901 he became a senator for Victoria in the new Commonwealth Government.

His home was Rippon Lea in Elsternwick which was built for him in 1868-69. Frederick Sargood first bought land at Rippon Lea on 11 August 1868 when he bought 27 acres 10.9 hectares). By 1901 he had increased the size of his estate to 18.32 hectares or 45 acres. The land was used for his family's fruit and vegetable supplies and for recreation. He was not a farmer.

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