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Henry Ayers

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Not to be confused with Henry Ayres.

The Honourable
Sir Henry Ayers
GCMG
8th Premier of South Australia
In office
15 July 1863 – 4 August 1864
MonarchVictoria
GovernorSir Dominick Daly
Preceded byFrancis Dutton
Succeeded bySir Arthur Blyth
In office
20 September 1865 – 23 October 1865
MonarchVictoria
GovernorSir Dominick Daly
Preceded byFrancis Dutton
Succeeded byCaptain John Hart
In office
3 May 1867 – 24 September 1868
MonarchVictoria
GovernorSir Dominick Daly
Preceded bySir James Boucaut
Succeeded byCaptain John Hart
In office
13 October 1868 – 3 November 1868
MonarchVictoria
GovernorSir James Fergusson
Preceded byCaptain John Hart
Succeeded byHenry Strangways
In office
22 January 1872 – 22 July 1873
MonarchVictoria
GovernorSir James Fergusson
Sir Anthony Musgrave
Preceded bySir Arthur Blyth
Succeeded bySir Arthur Blyth
Personal details
Born(1821-05-01)1 May 1821
Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK
Died11 June 1897(1897-06-11) (aged 76)
Adelaide, South Australia

Sir Henry Ayers (now pron. "airs") GCMG (1 May 1821 – 11 June 1897) was the eighth Premier of South Australia, serving a record five times between 1863 and 1873.

His lasting memorial was in the name Ayers Rock, now better-known as Uluru,[1][2] which was named in 1873 by the explorer William Gosse.[3][4]

Overview

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Ayers was born at Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, the son of William Ayers, of the Portsmouth dockyard, and Elizabeth, née Breakes. Educated at the Beneficial Society's School (Portsea) he entered a law office in 1832. Less than a month after his marriage in 1840, he emigrated with his wife, Anne (née Potts), to South Australia, as a carpenter, with free passages.

Until 1845, he worked as a law clerk, and was then appointed secretary of the South Australian Mining Association, which owned the copper mine at Burra Burra.[5] Henry Roach was chief Captain, responsible for day-to-day operations, from 1847 to 1867.[6] Within a year the mine employed over 1000 men. For nearly 50 years, Ayers was in control of the operation, known as the "Monster Mine", initially as the secretary and later as the managing director. He made his wealth from the mine, which also secured the wealth of the colony of South Australia.

Politics

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On 9 March 1857, Ayers was elected to the first South Australian Legislative Council under responsible government, the youngest member elected.[5]

In March 1863 Ayers was selected as one of the three South Australian representatives at the inter-colonial conference on uniform tariffs and inland customs duties. He also represented the colony at several other conferences from 1864 to 1877.[5] On 4 July 1863 Ayers became minister without portfolio in the first Dutton cabinet. This ministry resigned just 11 days later however, as council demanded that it should have an executive minister to represent the government and Dutton refused. Ayers formed his first ministry as Premier and Chief Secretary on 15 July 1863.[5]

In 1881, Ayers was elected President of the South Australian Legislative Council.[3]

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1870,[7] knighted as a Knight Commander of the same order (KCMG) in 1872, and raised to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 1894 Birthday Honours.[5][8]

He died in Adelaide on 11 June 1897. His wife had died in 1881, and he was survived by three sons and a daughter.[9]

Legacy

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He was the first chairman of the South Australian Gas Company.

He was the author of Pioneer Difficulties on Founding South Australia.[10]

Ayers resided in Ayers House from 1855 until 1897 and, in the 1860s, expanded it from a nine-room house into a grand mansion. His youngest child, Lucy, was born there. During Sir Henry's parliamentary service, Ayers House was used for cabinet meetings, parliamentary dinners, and grand balls.

Family

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Henry Ayers married Anne Potts (1812 – 13 August 1881) at Alverstokein around 1839.[5] Anne was a sister of winemaker Frank Potts. They had four surviving sons[11][12] and two daughters:

  • Frank Richman Ayers (1842 – 23 April 1906)
  • Henry "Harry" Lockett Ayers (1844–1905), married Ada Fisher Morphett (5 May 1843 – 1939) on 1 October 1866. She is remembered for contributing the "Tiffany windows" to St Paul's Church, Pulteney Street.
  • Frederick "Fred" Ayers (1847 – 1 February 1897) married Evelyn Cameron Page on 8 November 1870. He was a prominent member of the South Australian Jockey Club.
  • Margaret Elizabeth Ayers (1848 – 19 September 1887) married Arthur Robert Lungley on 29 April 1875
  • (Arthur) Ernest Ayers (1852 – 2 April 1921) married Barbara Agnes Milne on 30 April 1878. Barbara was a daughter of William Milne MP.
  • Lucy Josephine Ayers (1856 – 11 May 1945) married John Bagot on 24 September 1878. John was a grandson of Charles Hervey Bagot.

Ayers' remains were buried at the West Terrace Cemetery (Road 3, Path 19).

References

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  1. ^ "Dual Naming of Features". NT.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Place Names Register Extract: Uluru / Ayers Rock". Northern Territory Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. 6 November 2002. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  3. ^ a b Shute, Jason (2010). Henry Ayers: The Man Who Became a Rock. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781848855632. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  4. ^ "On this day, 11 June 1897, Sir Henry Ayers: Professional Historians Association". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Parr, S. R. (1969). "Sir Henry Ayers (1821–1897)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 3. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Burra Mine". Places. Burra History Group. Archived from the original on 20 April 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  7. ^ "No. 23578". The London Gazette. 18 January 1870. p. 1.
  8. ^ "No. 26516". The London Gazette. 25 May 1894. p. 3117.
  9. ^ He died in Adelaide on 11 June 1897. His wife had died in 1881, and he was survived by three sons and a daughter.
  10. ^ Ayers, Henry Sir (1891), Pioneer difficulties in founding South Australia : a lecture delivered to the Australian Natives' Association, W.K. Thomas, retrieved 26 January 2018
  11. ^ Provisions of the Will, Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), 27 August 1897
  12. ^ Sirenry Ayers' Will, The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA), 28 August 1897

Further reading

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  • The Advertiser, Adelaide, 12 June 1897
  • E. Hodder, The History of South Australia
  • Serle, Percival (1949). "Ayers, Henry". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
  • Additional sources listed by the Australian Dictionary of Biography
    • L. L. Ayers, Sir Henry Ayers, K.C.M.G. and His Family (Adel, 1946)
    • G. D. Combe, Responsible Government in South Australia (Adel, 1957)
    • The South Australian Register, 12 June 1897
    • P. L. Edgar, Sir James Boucaut (B.A. Hons thesis, University of Adelaide, 1961)
    • J. B. Graham letters (National Library of Australia)
    • Henry Parkes letters (State Library of New South Wales)
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