J. B. Hughes was a grazier, developer and politician in the early days of the Colony of South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

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Life

Born in Kentish Town, London, in July. 1817, he was employed at the age of 13 in the office of a merchant who sent him to Calcutta where his healh was badly affected. John and his brother Herbert Bristow Hughes came to South Australia in 1840 by way of Tasmania. By August 1841 he was running a sheep-station on the River Gilbert

Gilbert River (South Australia)

The Gilbert River is a river in the Mid North region of South Australia. It rises near Manoora on the Barrier Highway and flows south through Saddleworth, Riverton, Tarlee then southwest through Stockport and Hamley Bridge. It merges with the Light River just downstream of Hamley Bridge. The Light...

 with between 3,000 and 5,000 sheep. He expanded northwards, then sold his run at a substantial profit. His next venture was into real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

, with housing in Woodville

Woodville, South Australia

Woodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about 8 kilometres northwest of the Central Business District of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The postcode of Woodville is 5011...

; successful enough to donate land for the Anglican Church. Perhaps he also made a substantial contribution to the building.

He was heavily involved around 1849 in the foundation of St. Peter's College, a cause that was close to his heart the rest of his life - the "Letters" page of the South Australian Register frequently bore his missives complaining of mis-management or lack of vision.

He stood successfully in 1855 for the seat of East Torrens in the original Legislative Council

South Australian Legislative Council

The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...

 (when one-third of members was nominated by the South Australian Company) and he took part in the framing the Constitution, then in 1857 stood successfully for the House of Assembly

South Australian House of Assembly

The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...

 seat of Port Adelaide. He supported Torrens Title

Torrens title

Torrens title is a system of land title where a register of land holdings maintained by the state guarantees an indefeasible title to those included in the register...

 and held the Treasury portfolio from 1 September to 30 September 1857, and was complimented for his Budget speech. On 24 September 1858 be resigned his seat to visit England, in the hope of a recovery from his chronic health complaints but he did later later stand (unsuccessfully) for a seat in the House of Assembly. He supported independence of Church and State

Separation of church and state

The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....

, opposed State aid and was described as "anti-Ritualist".

He spent the years 1860 to 1878 in Victoria farming, but lost his money when pleuro-pneumonia wiped out most of his herd and returned to Adelaide. He had for years suffered from gout and serious recurrent headaches, for which the medical profession could do little. His last few weeks were spent holidaying at Point Lonsdale, a popular resort in Hobson's Bay, in the hope of some respite. On the fatal day he went for a swim and was never seen again, nor was his body ever recovered. He was believed to have suffered a stroke or cramp and was carried out to sea. He was survived by his wife and several children.