Thomas Elder

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For other people named Thomas Elder, see Thomas Elder (disambiguation).

Sir Thomas Elder GCMG (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897) was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable for introducing camels to Australia.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Elder was born at Kirkcaldy, Scotland, the fourth son of George Elder, merchant, and his wife Joanna Haddow, née Lang.

His eldest brother, Alexander Lang Elder (1815–1885),[1] went to South Australia in 1839 and founded the firm of Elder and Company in Adelaide. He was joined by his brothers William (1813–1882))[2] and George (1816–1897).[3] In August 1851 he was elected a member of the Legislative Council for West Adelaide. He resigned his seat in March 1853, and left South Australia. He settled in London in 1855, and acted as agent for the Adelaide company until 1884, when he and his sons established A. L. Elder & Company. William left Adelaide soon after Alexander. George left in 1855.

[edit] South Australia

Thomas Elder[4] migrated to Adelaide in 1854 and worked with George for a year. After George departed, Thomas formed Elder, Stirling & Co, a partnership with Edward Stirling,[5] Robert Barr Smith[6] and John Taylor. In 1856 Barr Smith married Thomas Elder's sister Joanna, and on Stirling and Taylor's retirement in 1863, Barr Smith and Thomas Elder formed Elder Smith and Co. In 1875, with Andrew Tennant,[7] they formed the Adelaide Steamship Company.

In 1864 he persuaded Arthur Hardy to sell him his Glen Osmond home "Birksgate", which he developed considerably. In 1897 it passed to his nephew T. E. Barr Smith.[8]

[edit] Pastoralist

Elder also had other important interests. He became associated with Peter Waite in the Paratoo run in 1862, in the same year bought Beltana station, and eventually became the owner of an enormous tract of country. He was said to have held at one time a pastoral area greater in extent than the whole of Scotland. Much of this was land with a very low rainfall, and Elder spent a great deal of money sinking artesian wells, making dams and fencing. In January 1866 he introduced camels from India with Afghan attendants, which were of much use in the dry areas and in conveying supplies from Port Augusta. They became an important factor in the development of the northern area of South Australia.

[edit] Investor, politician, race horses

Elder was very fortunate in his mining ventures. Early in the sixties he had large interests in the Moonta and Wallaroo copper-mines which brought him in a huge fortune. He entered political life as a member of the South Australian Legislative Council in 1863 but retired in 1869. He was again elected in 1871, but resigned in 1878 and took no further part in politics.

Elder was much interested in horses and made the breeding of blood stock a hobby. He was a leading racing man between 1875 and 1884 and had the highest reputation. It was well known that any horse bearing his colours was in the race to win. He sold his race-horses in 1884 but continued his stud.

[edit] Philanthropy

Elder encouraged exploration, contributed largely to Warburton's 1873 expedition and Giles's in 1875, supplying camels in each case, which proved to be of the greatest value. He also contributed liberally to the cost of other explorations, and in no case sought or obtained any return for himself. On one occasion he offered £5000 on condition that a like sum was subscribed by the public to finance an expedition to the Southern Ocean, but the condition was not fulfilled.

He supported every kind of manly sport and his benefactions both private and public were widespread and almost without limit.

The Art Gallery of South Australia received a bequest of £25,000, and many of the finest pictures of the gallery were purchased from this fund.

In 1874 he gave £20,000 towards an endowment fund for the newly established University of Adelaide, and with later gifts and bequests the total amount received by this institution from him was just short of £100,000. The Elder Conservatorium of Music perpetuates his name.

[edit] Elder Professor of Physics

When the Elder Professor of Mathematics was established, there was no chair in Physics. The first appointment was to the chair of Mathematics and Physics.

1. Sir William Henry Bragg 1886-1908
2. Sir Kerr Grant 1911-
3. Sir Leonard George Holden Huxley 1949-1959
4. John Carver (1961-1978)[9][10]
5. John Russell Prescott (1982-1990)[11]
6. Tony Thomas (1990-)[12][13]

[edit] Elder Professor of Mathematics

One of his bequests established and funded the first chair of mathematics at the fledgeling University. The Elder Professor of Mathematics at the University of Adelaide has been held by many eminent mathematicians, including Nobel Prize winner Sir William Henry Bragg.

1. Horace Lamb 1875-1885[14]
2. William Henry Bragg 1886-1908[15]
3. Robert William Chapman 1909-1919[16]
4. John Raymond Wilton 1920-1944[17][18][19]
5. Harold William Sanders 1944-1958[18][20]
6. Eric Stephen Barnes 1959-1974[18][21]
7. Ren Potts 1976-1990[18]
8. Ernie Tuck 1991-2002[18][22]
9. Charles E. M. Pearce 2005-2012[23]

[edit] Elder Professor of Music

As well as later funding the Elder Conservatorium, Sir Thomas helped to establish the Elder Professorship of Music in 1883, with the first incumbent taking up the post in 1884. At the same time, Sir Thomas established endowment funds in parallel for the Royal College of Music in London and the Music Board of the University of Adelaide to support the Elder Overseas Scholarship (in Music).

There have so far been only seven incumbents of the Elder Professorship of Music, all of whom have also served as Director and/or Dean of the Elder Conservatorium of Music and have provided the artistic and academic leadership for the institution:

1. Joshua Ives (1884–1901)[24]
2. Matthew Ennis (1902–1918)
3. Dr. E. Harold Davies (1918–1948)[25]
4. John Bishop, OBE (1946–1966), pianist and arts administrator[26]
5. David Galliver, AM (1966–1983), tenor
6. Heribert Esser (1986–1993), conductor
7. Dr. Charles Bodman Rae (since 2001), composer[27]

[edit] Elder Professor of Anatomy

  • Archibald Watson M.D. F.R.C.S. 1885-1919[28]
  • Frederic Wood Jones[29]

[edit] Elder Professor of Anatomy and Histology

  • H. Woollard
  • Herbert John Wilkinson 1930-
  • Dr. Frank Goldby 1937-1944
  • Andrew Arthur Abbie M.D. D.Sc. B.S. 1945-1970[30]

[edit] Others

[edit] Later years

He had a severe illness in 1887 and shortly afterwards retired. Elder Smith and Company was formed into a public company, and Elder afterwards lived chiefly in the country. He never married. Elder was knighted in 1878 (KCMG) and created Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1887. He died at Mount Lofty on 6 March 1897.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fayette Gosse, 'Elder, Alexander Lang (1815 - 1885)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, pp. 133–134. Retrieved on 11 July 2009.
  2. ^ Fayette Gosse, 'Elder, William (1813 - 1882)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, pp. 133–134. Retrieved on 11 July 2009.
  3. ^ Fayette Gosse, 'Elder, George (1816 - 1897)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, pp. 133–134. Retrieved on 11 July 2009.
  4. ^ Fayette Gosse, 'Elder, Sir Thomas (1818 - 1897)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, pp. 133–134. Retrieved on 11 July 2009.
  5. ^ Hans Mincham, 'Stirling, Edward (1804 - 1873)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, 1976, pp. 200–201.
  6. ^ Dirk van Dissel, 'Smith, Robert Barr (1824 - 1915)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, 1976, pp. 153–154.
  7. ^ Gordon D. Combe, 'Tennant, Andrew (1835 - 1913)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, 1976, pp. 255–256.
  8. ^ Gunton, Eric Gracious Homes of Colonial Adelaide published by the author 1983 ISBN 0 959 2094 0 9
  9. ^ Obituary - John Henry Carver (1926-2004), www.aip.org.au
  10. ^ Papers of Professor J.H. Carver, www.adelaide.edu.au
  11. ^ John Russell Prescott, www.adelaide.edu.au
  12. ^ Keys to the Universe, www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au
  13. ^ Prof. Anthony W. Thomas, www.physics.adelaide.edu.au
  14. ^ "The selection of Physics as a foundation discipline at the University of Queensland". Crossroads V (2: UQ Centenary): 45–55. 2011. ISSN 1833-878X. 
  15. ^ Tomlin, S. G. (1979). "Bragg, Sir William Henry (1862–1942)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 7 October 2008. 
  16. ^ Graeme Cohen (March 2006). "The appointment of the first four professors of mathematics in the University of Melbourne". Australian Mathematical Society Gazette: 14–21. 
  17. ^ Potts, R. B. (1990). "Wilton, John Raymond (1884–1944)". Australian Dictionary of Biography 12. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 12 June 2012. 
  18. ^ a b c d e Former Officers of the University of Adelaide, Archives, www.adelaide.edu.au
  19. ^ R. B. Potts (1977). "Mathematics at the University of Adelaide". Australian Mathematical Society Gazette (4): 37. 
  20. ^ Potts, R. B. (1985). "Mathematics at the University of Adelaide, Part 3: 1944–1958". Australian Mathematical Society Gazette 12 (2): 25–30. 
  21. ^ Wall, G.E., Pitman, Jane and Potts, R.B. (2004). "Eric Stephen Barnes, 1924–2000". Historical Records of Australian Science 15 (1): 21–45.  Also available at http://www.science.org.au/academy/memoirs/barnes.htm
  22. ^ Ernie Tuck honoured, www.adelaide.edu.au
  23. ^ Charles Pearce, www.maths.adelaide.edu.au
  24. ^ Elder Conservatorium, www.adelaide.edu.au
  25. ^ Professor Dr. E. Harold Davies, www.adelaide.edu.au
  26. ^ Professor John Bishop, www.adelaide.edu.au
  27. ^ Professor Dr. Charles Bodman Rae, www.adelaide.edu.au
  28. ^ "People Talked About". The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 27 December 1913. p. 8. Retrieved 25 June 2012. 
  29. ^ The Lasts, health.adelaide.edu.au
  30. ^ The Papers of Professor Andrew Arthur Abbie, 1905-1976, www.adelaide.edu.au
  31. ^ Art & Heritage Collections: Tate Museum, www.adelaide.edu.au

[edit] See also

Authority control
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