George Adams (businessman)
Encyclopedia
George Adams was an Australia
n publican and lottery promoter best known as the founder of Tattersall's.
, England
. He was the fourth son of William Adams, farm labourer, and his wife Martha, née Gilbey. The family emigrated to Australia and arrived on 28 May 1855.
Adams started as a gold miner
in Queensland
before working on sheep stations in New South Wales
and setting up a stock dealer and butcher in Goulburn. In 1875, he swapped the trade of meat to the trade of liquor and purchased the licence to a hotel in Kiama on the New South Wales south coast. He frequented the Tattersall's Club in Sydney
and was a good mixer and 'a man with friends'. Three of his friends, Bill Archer, George Hill and George Loseby, purchased the O'Brien Hotel, the home of the Tattersall's club and told Adams to 'pay when you can'.
Within ten years, Adams was a wealthy man with the 'Tin Bar' replaced by the 'Marble Bar' at the O'Brien Hotel for £32,000 pounds. Tattersall's club members subscribed to sweepstakes run on race meetings
throughout Australia and eventually Adams began to include his Hotel regulars and in 1881 he ran the first public Tattersall's sweep on the Sydney Cup
.
During his time in Sydney
he married Fanny Franklin in 1858 however she died in 1883. In 1886, he married Norah Louie Jones. Norah died in Hobart in 1913. Adams had no children with either wife.
Religious groups opposed this form of gambling and in 1892 convinced the New South Wales state government to pass laws prohibiting the delivery of letters containing sweeps. He moved to Queensland who soon introduced similar legislation and so in 1895 he moved his business to Tasmania
. Six months later the Tasmanian Government passed the Suppression of Public Betting and Gaming Act prohibiting betting shops but legalising certain lotteries. This allowed Adams to find a home for the Tattersall's lotteries for the next fifty-eight years. Adams moved his home there and made Hobart home for the rest of his life.
George Adams died in Hobart
and was buried in Cornelian Bay cemetery under a headstone engraved 'George Adams (Tattersall)'. At the time of his death, Adams was contracted to buy more real estate in Tasmania and had intended to start business as a maltster and brewer.
There is a statue of Adams on St Kilda Road at the Tatts Group Limited head office near St Kilda Junction
in Melbourne
.
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...
n publican and lottery promoter best known as the founder of Tattersall's.
Life
Adams was born in Redhill in the parish of Sandon, HertfordshireSandon, Hertfordshire
Sandon is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Sandon is located near the towns of Baldock and Buntingford. Sandon has a church called All Saints Church.- External links :*...
, 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 the fourth son of William Adams, farm labourer, and his wife Martha, née Gilbey. The family emigrated to Australia and arrived on 28 May 1855.
Adams started as a gold miner
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
before working on sheep stations in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and setting up a stock dealer and butcher in Goulburn. In 1875, he swapped the trade of meat to the trade of liquor and purchased the licence to a hotel in Kiama on the New South Wales south coast. He frequented the Tattersall's Club in 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...
and was a good mixer and 'a man with friends'. Three of his friends, Bill Archer, George Hill and George Loseby, purchased the O'Brien Hotel, the home of the Tattersall's club and told Adams to 'pay when you can'.
Within ten years, Adams was a wealthy man with the 'Tin Bar' replaced by the 'Marble Bar' at the O'Brien Hotel for £32,000 pounds. Tattersall's club members subscribed to sweepstakes run on race meetings
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
throughout Australia and eventually Adams began to include his Hotel regulars and in 1881 he ran the first public Tattersall's sweep on the Sydney Cup
Sydney Cup
The Sydney Cup is an Australian horse race, held for Thoroughbred horses and run over 3200 metres. It is run every year at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, New South Wales in April/May...
.
During his time in 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...
he married Fanny Franklin in 1858 however she died in 1883. In 1886, he married Norah Louie Jones. Norah died in Hobart in 1913. Adams had no children with either wife.
Religious groups opposed this form of gambling and in 1892 convinced the New South Wales state government to pass laws prohibiting the delivery of letters containing sweeps. He moved to Queensland who soon introduced similar legislation and so in 1895 he moved his business to 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...
. Six months later the Tasmanian Government passed the Suppression of Public Betting and Gaming Act prohibiting betting shops but legalising certain lotteries. This allowed Adams to find a home for the Tattersall's lotteries for the next fifty-eight years. Adams moved his home there and made Hobart home for the rest of his life.
George Adams died in Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
and was buried in Cornelian Bay cemetery under a headstone engraved 'George Adams (Tattersall)'. At the time of his death, Adams was contracted to buy more real estate in Tasmania and had intended to start business as a maltster and brewer.
Legacy
The chief beneficiary of his estate was his nephew William James Adam.There is a statue of Adams on St Kilda Road at the Tatts Group Limited head office near St Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction
St Kilda Junction is one of the most notorious intersections in Melbourne, Australia. It is located in the suburb of St Kilda, and bordering Windsor, Melbourne and St Kilda East, and is the meeting point of the major roads Punt Road, St Kilda Road, Dandenong Road/Queens Way/Princes Highway and...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.