Sir John Henniker Heaton, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir John Henniker Heaton, 1st Baronet (18 May 1848 – 8 September 1914) was a United Kingdom
Member of Parliament
and a postal reformer and journalist
in Australia
.
John Heaton and his wife, Elizabeth Anne née Henniker, and was born at Rochester, Kent
, England
. He was educated at Kent House School, Rochester, and King's College London
.
. He had further experience as editor of the Penny Post, Goulburn
, and the Times, Parramatta, before joining the Australian Town and Country Journal at Sydney
about the year 1871. On this paper he came under the influence of the proprietor Samuel Bennett, "the best friend I ever had" Heaton called him, and on 16 July 1873 married his daughter Rose.
In 1879 he published The Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time, the first Australian book of reference of real importance, and a conscientious and generally sound piece of work. In 1882 he stood for parliament for the electorate of Young
, and was defeated by a few votes. In the following year he went to England and represented New South Wales as a commissioner at the Amsterdam exhibition. He also represented Tasmania
at the international telegraphic conference held at Berlin
, and made his first mark as a reformer by obtaining a reduction in the cost of cable messages to Australia.
. He held this seat for 25 years, and became well-known in the House of Commons
for the special interest he showed in postal questions. In 1886 he moved a resolution inviting the government to negotiate with other governments with a view to the establishment of universal penny post
. It was defeated, but he succeeded in 1890 in obtaining a reduction in the rate between Great Britain
and Australia to twopence halfpenny. In 1898 Imperial penny postage came in except for Australia and New Zealand
, who would not agree to it until 1905. It was extended to America
in 1908 but still Heaton was not content, and to the end of his days continued to advocate its extension to other countries.
Heaton's interest, however, did not only lie in the obtaining of reductions in the cost of postage. He was able to point out to the Postmaster-General various methods of saving costs, and as a result of his efforts considerable savings were made. Heaton made several visits to Australia where he had land and newspaper interests, and began to be recognized as its unofficial member in the house of commons. He several times refused a knighthood, but valued very much the bestowal of the freedom of the cities of London and of Canterbury in 1899. Heaton was a fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute and the Royal Society of Literature
, and lectured to the latter on Australian Aboriginals. Chess was his favourite recreation; he also collected Australiana and at one stage owned the Endeavour journals of Sir Joseph Banks
.
In 1912 while on a visit to Australia, Heaton was made a baronet
, and on his return he was publicly welcomed at the Guildhall
and given an illuminated album containing over a thousand signatures of well-known men. The postmaster-general, who could not be present, mentioned that in 1910 Heaton on his sixty-second birthday had sent him a list of 62 desirable postal reforms, several of which had already been carried into effect. In August 1914 he became seriously ill while travelling on the continent and died at Geneva
on 8 September 1914. Lady Heaton survived him and his son John became second baronet. His Life and Letters by his daughter, Mrs Adrian Porter, was published in 1916.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Member of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
and a postal reformer and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Early life
Heaton was the only son of Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
John Heaton and his wife, Elizabeth Anne née Henniker, and was born at Rochester, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was educated at Kent House School, Rochester, and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Australia
Heaton found employment at first as a station hand and then joined the staff of the Cumberland Mercury, ParramattaParramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
. He had further experience as editor of the Penny Post, Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, and the Times, Parramatta, before joining the Australian Town and Country Journal at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
about the year 1871. On this paper he came under the influence of the proprietor Samuel Bennett, "the best friend I ever had" Heaton called him, and on 16 July 1873 married his daughter Rose.
In 1879 he published The Australian Dictionary of Dates and Men of the Time, the first Australian book of reference of real importance, and a conscientious and generally sound piece of work. In 1882 he stood for parliament for the electorate of Young
Young, New South Wales
-Demographics:On census night, 7 August 2001, there were 6,821 people counted in Young. There were 238 people who identified as being of Indigenous origin in the 2001 Census...
, and was defeated by a few votes. In the following year he went to England and represented New South Wales as a commissioner at the Amsterdam exhibition. He also represented Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
at the international telegraphic conference held at Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and made his first mark as a reformer by obtaining a reduction in the cost of cable messages to Australia.
UK Member of Parliament
Heaton settled back in London in 1884 and at the general election held in 1885 was returned as Conservative member for CanterburyCanterbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Canterbury is a county constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. He held this seat for 25 years, and became well-known in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
for the special interest he showed in postal questions. In 1886 he moved a resolution inviting the government to negotiate with other governments with a view to the establishment of universal penny post
Penny Post
The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.-London Penny Post:In England, the Post Office had a monopoly on the collection and carriage of letters between post towns but there was no delivery system until the London Penny Post was...
. It was defeated, but he succeeded in 1890 in obtaining a reduction in the rate between Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Australia to twopence halfpenny. In 1898 Imperial penny postage came in except for Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, who would not agree to it until 1905. It was extended to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1908 but still Heaton was not content, and to the end of his days continued to advocate its extension to other countries.
Heaton's interest, however, did not only lie in the obtaining of reductions in the cost of postage. He was able to point out to the Postmaster-General various methods of saving costs, and as a result of his efforts considerable savings were made. Heaton made several visits to Australia where he had land and newspaper interests, and began to be recognized as its unofficial member in the house of commons. He several times refused a knighthood, but valued very much the bestowal of the freedom of the cities of London and of Canterbury in 1899. Heaton was a fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute and the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
, and lectured to the latter on Australian Aboriginals. Chess was his favourite recreation; he also collected Australiana and at one stage owned the Endeavour journals of Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
.
In 1912 while on a visit to Australia, Heaton was made a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, and on his return he was publicly welcomed at the Guildhall
Guildhall, London
The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Gresham and Basinghall streets, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap. It has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its Corporation...
and given an illuminated album containing over a thousand signatures of well-known men. The postmaster-general, who could not be present, mentioned that in 1910 Heaton on his sixty-second birthday had sent him a list of 62 desirable postal reforms, several of which had already been carried into effect. In August 1914 he became seriously ill while travelling on the continent and died at Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
on 8 September 1914. Lady Heaton survived him and his son John became second baronet. His Life and Letters by his daughter, Mrs Adrian Porter, was published in 1916.