Joseph Fisher (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fisher was a South Australia
n politician and newspaper proprietor born in Brighouse
, Yorkshire
.
were later to take over the wine shop of Patrick Auld.)
In 1840 he started work as a clerk in the Tavistock Street office of the merchant Anthony Forster, who, on the death of his father in 1841 became his guardian.
and The Observer, gave Fisher a job in the newspaper's office. In those days every employee was involved in other aspects of getting the newspaper out. For Fisher that meant working the press, folding and bundling the papers as well as keeping the books. After three months Forster took no part in the day-to-day business of the paper. In May 1853 (after a year in the goldfields) Fisher became part-owner and business manager.
The Register was, under Stephens, a crusading paper, with a campaign against some injustice almost every week. This won respect for the paper, but cost it advertisers.
When Stephens died in 1850, John Taylor took over his share of the business.
On 30 September 1865 Fisher sold his share of the business to John Howard Clark
.
.
He was director of the Bank of Adelaide
for around 20 years.
He was a director of the South Australian Gas Company.
He was a director of the South Australian Company.
He was part-owner of the clipper Hesperus
He had shares in two large sheep stations.
He was chairman of the Port Adelaide Dry Dock Company
He was a director of Adelaide Marine and Fire Assurance
He was a director of The Mortgage Company of S. A. Ltd. which went into receivership in 1905.
He was known as a philanthropist, donating large sums to charitable and cultural organizations. This included £500 for the National Art Gallery and £1000 to the University of Adelaide, though these may have partly motivated by a need to avoid inheritance tax.
for the district of Sturt from 1868 to 1870.
He was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council
in 1872 and held his seat until 1881. He was a man of unyielding principles - the obituary in The Register said "... in his earlier political career he expressed himself as sternly opposed to many of the political ideals which have since found favour in certain quarters and refused to shirk what he deemed to be his duties and responsibilities to retain his seat. He was at all times plain spoken and was not the man to make compromises of principle for the sake of securing any private advantage." This may have referred to his opposition in 1880 to a parliamentary bill, which he labelled as "Un-Christian", to restrict freedoms of Chinese nationals. This opposition had probably cost him his seat at the 1881 elections.
For all their married life they lived in "Woodfield" at what is now 78 Fisher Street Fullarton. The original house was built around 1853 by J. C. Verco
and P. Santo, schoolmates from J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institute, both of whom were to become South Australian parliamentarians. He bought it at the time of his marriage in 1857 and extended it significantly in 1883. A prominent feature is a square three-storey tower from which Fisher could watch shipping movements.
In his last twenty years he suffered from gout and diabetes. His death at home, after a bout of influenza, received little publicity: there was no death notice and his cremation was only reported after the event.
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...
n politician and newspaper proprietor born in Brighouse
Brighouse
Brighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Early Days
He left for Adelaide with his parents in the Prestonjee Bonanjee and arrived on 4 October 1838. His father, Joshua Fisher (died 1841), opened a grocery store at the corner of Hindley and Morphett Streets. Joseph was educated at the Oddfellows School where James Wardlaw Disher (1819 – 1901) was Classics master. (Disher and his brother-in-law Sir William MilneWilliam Milne (politician)
Sir William Milne was an Australian entrepreneur and politician, serving as the member for Onkaparinga in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1857-1868 and President of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1873 to 1881.Born in Wester-Common, near Glasgow, Milne was educated in...
were later to take over the wine shop of Patrick Auld.)
In 1840 he started work as a clerk in the Tavistock Street office of the merchant Anthony Forster, who, on the death of his father in 1841 became his guardian.
Newspapers
In 1848 Forster bought a half share of John Stephens' (died November 1850) newspapers The South Australian RegisterSouth Australian Register
The Register, originally the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, was the first South Australian newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836 and folded almost a century later in February 1931....
and The Observer, gave Fisher a job in the newspaper's office. In those days every employee was involved in other aspects of getting the newspaper out. For Fisher that meant working the press, folding and bundling the papers as well as keeping the books. After three months Forster took no part in the day-to-day business of the paper. In May 1853 (after a year in the goldfields) Fisher became part-owner and business manager.
The Register was, under Stephens, a crusading paper, with a campaign against some injustice almost every week. This won respect for the paper, but cost it advertisers.
When Stephens died in 1850, John Taylor took over his share of the business.
On 30 September 1865 Fisher sold his share of the business to John Howard Clark
John Howard Clark
John Howard Clark was editor of The South Australian Register from 1870 to 1877 and was responsible for its Echoes from the Bush column and closely associated with its Geoffry Crabthorn persona.-Early years:...
.
Other Business
Fisher then concentrated on his activity as Adelaide agent of several businesses, notably that of John RidleyJohn Ridley
John Ridley is an American film director, actor, and writer.Ridley got his start as a stand-up comedian. He eventually was hired as a writer for sitcoms such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin...
.
He was director of the Bank of Adelaide
Bank of Adelaide
The Bank of Adelaide was founded in 1865 in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It was incorporated by an act of the Parliament of South Australia. It was taken over in 1979 by ANZ, and merged into that organisation, after bailing out a subsidiary finance company that had lent too much to...
for around 20 years.
He was a director of the South Australian Gas Company.
He was a director of the South Australian Company.
He was part-owner of the clipper Hesperus
He had shares in two large sheep stations.
He was chairman of the Port Adelaide Dry Dock Company
He was a director of Adelaide Marine and Fire Assurance
He was a director of The Mortgage Company of S. A. Ltd. which went into receivership in 1905.
Other Interests
For nearly 25 years he was vice-president of the South Australian Cricketing Association and trustee of the Sturt Cricket ClubHe was known as a philanthropist, donating large sums to charitable and cultural organizations. This included £500 for the National Art Gallery and £1000 to the University of Adelaide, though these may have partly motivated by a need to avoid inheritance tax.
Politics
Joseph Fisher was elected to the South Australian House of AssemblySouth 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 :...
for the district of Sturt from 1868 to 1870.
He was elected to the South Australian 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...
in 1872 and held his seat until 1881. He was a man of unyielding principles - the obituary in The Register said "... in his earlier political career he expressed himself as sternly opposed to many of the political ideals which have since found favour in certain quarters and refused to shirk what he deemed to be his duties and responsibilities to retain his seat. He was at all times plain spoken and was not the man to make compromises of principle for the sake of securing any private advantage." This may have referred to his opposition in 1880 to a parliamentary bill, which he labelled as "Un-Christian", to restrict freedoms of Chinese nationals. This opposition had probably cost him his seat at the 1881 elections.
Private Life
He married Anne Wood Farrar (died 21 April 1915) on 10 March 1857- son Henry (11 December 1857 – 2 December 1864) aged 7 years of diphtheria
- son 24 August 1859
- daughter Helen Elizabeth (20 March 1861 – 9 January 1865) aged 3 years of diphtheria
- daughter Annie Katherine (28 January 1863 – 27 January 1865) aged 2 years
- daughter Gertrude (15 October 1865 – March 20 1952) married William Culross 12 November 1887
- son Harold (13 May 1867 – 7 July 1929 aged 62) married Alice Russell Maude Smyth 7 May 1890
- son Norman (4 October 1868 – 6 September 1871) aged 2 years
For all their married life they lived in "Woodfield" at what is now 78 Fisher Street Fullarton. The original house was built around 1853 by J. C. Verco
Joseph Cooke Verco
Sir Joseph Cooke Verco was an Australian physician and conchologist.Verco was a son of James Crabb Verco, and was born at Fullarton, South Australia. Both his parents came from Cornwall, UK. He was educated at the J. L...
and P. Santo, schoolmates from J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institute, both of whom were to become South Australian parliamentarians. He bought it at the time of his marriage in 1857 and extended it significantly in 1883. A prominent feature is a square three-storey tower from which Fisher could watch shipping movements.
In his last twenty years he suffered from gout and diabetes. His death at home, after a bout of influenza, received little publicity: there was no death notice and his cremation was only reported after the event.