Samuel Stephens (Colonial Manager)
Encyclopedia
Samuel Stephens was an English businessman who was the first Colonial Manager appointed by the South Australian Company to the new colony of South Australia
.
He was born the eighth son of one Rev. John Stephens. His siblings included John (1806-1850) and Edward
(1811-1861).
He travelled to South Australia in February 1836 in the Duke of York (the first of the Company ships, followed by the Lady Mary Pelham, and the John Pirie) with 8 fellow-colonists and 29 labourers, and on 27 July 1836 was the first to embark on Kangaroo Island
, the intended site of the first settlement.
The capital of the island, originally to be called "Angas
" for the Company's chairman, was renamed Kingscote by Stephens.
His brother-in-law Thomas Hudson Beare (died 7 November 1861), who travelled with him, was the first storekeeper of the Colony.
Stephens resigned his position in 1837 to concentrate on exploration of the colony. Other accounts depict Stephens as an inept manager, tardy in administrative duties and exceeding his authority, that he was replaced by David McLaren before the expiration of his contract of seven years, then sacked after he killed a sailor from a rival firm at Encounter Bay
. He was heavily criticised for the purchase, contrary to instructions, of 60 acres of town land for the South Australian Company, but many came later to applaud his action.
In 1839 he was appointed inaugural treasurer of the committee to found the Botanical and Horticultural Gardens.
He was killed on his return to Adelaide on the final downhill, from an expedition up the River Murray, when his horse stumbled and rolled over him. He was survived by his wife Charlotte Hudson Stephens (née Beare), who died in 1875.
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...
.
He was born the eighth son of one Rev. John Stephens. His siblings included John (1806-1850) and Edward
Edward Stephens
Edward Stephens was one of the earliest settlers in the Colony of South Australia.He was born in London, the tenth child of Rev. John Stephens , sometime president of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference...
(1811-1861).
He travelled to South Australia in February 1836 in the Duke of York (the first of the Company ships, followed by the Lady Mary Pelham, and the John Pirie) with 8 fellow-colonists and 29 labourers, and on 27 July 1836 was the first to embark on Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
, the intended site of the first settlement.
The capital of the island, originally to be called "Angas
George Fife Angas
George Fife Angas was an English businessman and banker who, from England, played a significant part in the formation and establishment of the Colony of South Australia. He established the South Australian Company and was its founding chairman of the board of directors...
" for the Company's chairman, was renamed Kingscote by Stephens.
His brother-in-law Thomas Hudson Beare (died 7 November 1861), who travelled with him, was the first storekeeper of the Colony.
Stephens resigned his position in 1837 to concentrate on exploration of the colony. Other accounts depict Stephens as an inept manager, tardy in administrative duties and exceeding his authority, that he was replaced by David McLaren before the expiration of his contract of seven years, then sacked after he killed a sailor from a rival firm at Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay
Encounter Bay is located on the south central coast of South Australia, some 100 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the encounter on 8 April 1802 between Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin, both of whom were charting the Australian coastline for their respective countries...
. He was heavily criticised for the purchase, contrary to instructions, of 60 acres of town land for the South Australian Company, but many came later to applaud his action.
In 1839 he was appointed inaugural treasurer of the committee to found the Botanical and Horticultural Gardens.
He was killed on his return to Adelaide on the final downhill, from an expedition up the River Murray, when his horse stumbled and rolled over him. He was survived by his wife Charlotte Hudson Stephens (née Beare), who died in 1875.