Charles Gordon Campbell
Encyclopedia
Charles Gordon Campbell was born on the 14 January 1840, in Aberdeen
Scotland
. He is the son of Duncan Campbell, cattle driver and his wife Catherine née Mclean. Campbell was a Colonial Australian merchant and pastoralist. Along with Frederick Sheppard Grimwade
, Alfred Felton
, and James Cuming, he established one of Australia's largest fertilizer
companies. All four men are quoted as being some of early Australia's greatest Industrialists.
In 1872 Campbell formed a Partnership, with former childhood friend, in buying an acid works at Yarraville
. Campbell put up £3300 of the £4000 required, and as senior partner of Cuming, Smith & Co. led the new firm's diversification into fertilizers in 1875. In 1882 Grimwade and Felton joined forces with Campbell and Cuming forming the Adelaide Chemical Works Co. The partner's were excellent managers, re-invested profits and easily survived the 1890s Depression. In 1897 Felton and Grimwade merged their acid works entirely with Cuming Smith and Co and the new company became a major powerhouse in Australia's chemical and fertilizer industries.
In 1888 Campbell teamed up with Grimwade in founding the Royal Bank, the only Melbourne Bank not to suspend payments in 1893. Campbell also founded the Apollo Stearine Candle Co and with James Service, C.E Miller and others he established the Port Melbounrne Sugar Co, which then later merged with the Colonial Sugar refining co, the company was a major survivor with the Sugar Boom Faltered. Like many of Australia's early merchants, Campbell became a Pastoralist he invested in the Malvern Hills Pastoral Co. of Queensland and 1884, along with Alfred Felton bought a station Murray Downs some 97000 acres (392,545,420 m²) near Swan hill. The Partners spent Heavily on Improvements. The Station was to have one of the largest Water rights in Australia. Today the water alone would be worth well over A$10million. The Station is quite well known among farming groups and over time parts of it were subdivided and sold over. The homestead to is quite well known. Recently it was turned into a Golf Course. Unfortunately the Family do not have many links left with the Property and many of the Families items have been dispersed among owners of the Property and sold off and lost in time.
In 1889 the station sent 327 bales of wool down river to the railhead at Echuca, but wool prices fell in the 1890s and drought was a recurrent problem. Campbell helped to set up the Pastoralists' Association of Victoria and Southern Riverina, became its treasurer, and was thanked by its council for services (unspecified) during the great strike of 1891.
In maturity Campbell was bearded, bald and genial, but keen-eyed; Felton always admired his 'stubborn strength'. His family was established in Wollahra, a mansion in East Melbourne, but spent much time at Murray Downs.
In 1897 Campbell and Felton bought, for £85,300, another large property, Langi Kal Kal, near Beaufort. When Felton died in January 1904, Campbell bought out his share in both stations. Campbell died of pneumonia on 13 September 1905 at Wollahra. He was buried in Boroondara cemetery, Kew; in its obituary, the Pastoralists' Review called him 'one of the ablest business men in Melbourne'. His estate, sworn for probate at £233,000 in Victoria, £115,672 in New South Wales and £24,080 in South Australia, was left in trust for his widow, surviving children and grandchildren.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He is the son of Duncan Campbell, cattle driver and his wife Catherine née Mclean. Campbell was a Colonial Australian merchant and pastoralist. Along with Frederick Sheppard Grimwade
Frederick Sheppard Grimwade
Frederick Sheppard Grimwade was a businessman and Victorian member of parliament.Born in Norfolk, England, Grimwade arrived in Victoria in 1863. In 1867 he bought a pharmaceutical company and renamed it Felton Grimwade & Co.; it soon became the largest in the colony, prospering well into the...
, Alfred Felton
Alfred Felton
Alfred Felton was an Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist.-Biography:Alfred Felton was born at Maldon, Essex, England, the fifth child of six sons and three daughters of William Felton, a currier, and his wife Hannah...
, and James Cuming, he established one of Australia's largest fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
companies. All four men are quoted as being some of early Australia's greatest Industrialists.
Life
Campbell Migrated to the Victorian Goldfields in 1858, working at Woodend as an agent for a firm of Carriers, before moving to New Zealand, where he established a successful flour milling business at Dunedin. He returned to Melbourne in the 1860s and entered the Lime Business, and Prospered. On the 5th of June 1861 he married Mary Ellen Smith, in Wesley Church, Lonsdale St Melbourne. They had four sons and six daughters.In 1872 Campbell formed a Partnership, with former childhood friend, in buying an acid works at Yarraville
Yarraville, Victoria
Yarraville is a suburb 6 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Yarraville had a population of 12,726....
. Campbell put up £3300 of the £4000 required, and as senior partner of Cuming, Smith & Co. led the new firm's diversification into fertilizers in 1875. In 1882 Grimwade and Felton joined forces with Campbell and Cuming forming the Adelaide Chemical Works Co. The partner's were excellent managers, re-invested profits and easily survived the 1890s Depression. In 1897 Felton and Grimwade merged their acid works entirely with Cuming Smith and Co and the new company became a major powerhouse in Australia's chemical and fertilizer industries.
In 1888 Campbell teamed up with Grimwade in founding the Royal Bank, the only Melbourne Bank not to suspend payments in 1893. Campbell also founded the Apollo Stearine Candle Co and with James Service, C.E Miller and others he established the Port Melbounrne Sugar Co, which then later merged with the Colonial Sugar refining co, the company was a major survivor with the Sugar Boom Faltered. Like many of Australia's early merchants, Campbell became a Pastoralist he invested in the Malvern Hills Pastoral Co. of Queensland and 1884, along with Alfred Felton bought a station Murray Downs some 97000 acres (392,545,420 m²) near Swan hill. The Partners spent Heavily on Improvements. The Station was to have one of the largest Water rights in Australia. Today the water alone would be worth well over A$10million. The Station is quite well known among farming groups and over time parts of it were subdivided and sold over. The homestead to is quite well known. Recently it was turned into a Golf Course. Unfortunately the Family do not have many links left with the Property and many of the Families items have been dispersed among owners of the Property and sold off and lost in time.
In 1889 the station sent 327 bales of wool down river to the railhead at Echuca, but wool prices fell in the 1890s and drought was a recurrent problem. Campbell helped to set up the Pastoralists' Association of Victoria and Southern Riverina, became its treasurer, and was thanked by its council for services (unspecified) during the great strike of 1891.
Later life
In 1885 Campbell had joined Felton in supporting Rev. Charles Strong, the charismatic preacher expelled from Scots Church, encouraging him to found another. Described by Felton as 'the ablest practical head that the confraternity can claim', Campbell helped to build Strong's new Australian Church, and in 1897 was one of four 'proprietors' who cleared the building of debt and rented it back to the Church. By then he had joined Scots Church, where a window was later installed in his memory.In maturity Campbell was bearded, bald and genial, but keen-eyed; Felton always admired his 'stubborn strength'. His family was established in Wollahra, a mansion in East Melbourne, but spent much time at Murray Downs.
In 1897 Campbell and Felton bought, for £85,300, another large property, Langi Kal Kal, near Beaufort. When Felton died in January 1904, Campbell bought out his share in both stations. Campbell died of pneumonia on 13 September 1905 at Wollahra. He was buried in Boroondara cemetery, Kew; in its obituary, the Pastoralists' Review called him 'one of the ablest business men in Melbourne'. His estate, sworn for probate at £233,000 in Victoria, £115,672 in New South Wales and £24,080 in South Australia, was left in trust for his widow, surviving children and grandchildren.
Sources
- Grimwade, Frederick Sheppard - Bright Sparcs Biographical entry at www.asap.unimelb.edu.au
- www.abd.com.au
- Wakool Shire Community Heritage Study 2006-2007, Wakool Shire Council, and Heritage Office, NSW Department of Planning, pp. 26-29.