Henry Ayers
Encyclopedia
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1 May 1821 – 11 June 1897) was Premier of South Australia five times between 1863 and 1873, but is perhaps best remembered for having Uluru/Ayers Rock
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
named for him.
Overview
Ayers was born at PortseaPortsea
Portsea is an area of the English city of Portsmouth, located on Portsea Island, within the ceremonial county of Hampshire.The area was originally known as the Common and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the nearby Dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the seventeenth...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 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...
son of William Ayers, of the Portsmouth dockyard, and his wife Elizabeth, née Breakes. Educated at the Beneficial Society's School (Portsea) he entered a law office in 1832. He emigrated, as a carpenter, to South Australia
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...
in 1840 with his wife, Elizabeth with free passages. Until 1845 he worked as a law clerk, he was then appointed secretary of the Burra Burra
Burra, South Australia
Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company mining township that, by 1851, was a set of townships ...
mines. Within a year had command of over 1000 men. For nearly 50 years he was in control of this mine, initially as secretary and later as managing director. He made his wealth from the Burra Burra Copper Mines, which was known as the "Monster Mine" that secured the wealth of the colony of South Australia
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...
.
Politics
On 9 March 1857 Ayers was elected to the first South Australian Legislative CouncilSouth 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...
under responsible government, the youngest member elected. He was continuously a member for over 36 years. For many years the whole colony formed a single electorate for the council; on two occasions (1865 and 1873) Ayers headed the poll.
In March 1863 Ayers was selected as one of the three South Australian representatives at the inter-colonial conference on uniform tariffs and inland customs duties. He also represented the colony at several other conferences from 1864 to 1877.
On 4 July 1863 Ayers became minister without portfolio in the first Dutton
Francis Dutton
Francis Stacker Dutton CMG was the seventh Premier of South Australia, serving twice, firstly in 1863 and again in 1865....
cabinet. This ministry resigned just 11 days later however, as council demanded that it should have an executive minister to represent the government and Dutton refused. Ayers formed his first ministry as premier and chief secretary on 15 July 1863. The house was much divided and it was almost impossible to get business done. Ayers reconstructed his ministry on 22 July 1864 but was defeated, and resigned on 4 August 1864. The Blyth
Arthur Blyth
Sir Arthur Blyth KCMG was premier of South Australia three times; 1864–1865, 1871–1872 and 1873-1875....
ministry which was then formed included Ayers as chief secretary, but did not survive a general election and resigned on 22 March 1865. When Dutton formed his second ministry Ayers had his old position as chief secretary, and still retaining that office, formed his third administration on 20 September 1865 which lasted just over a month. In spite of dissolutions it was found very difficult to get a workable house. There were 18 ministries between July 1863 and July 1873. Ayers became premier again from May 1867 to September 1868, October to November 1868, 27 January 1872 to March 1872, and with an entirely new team of ministers, from March 1872 to July 1873. He held the position of chief secretary in the Colton
John Colton
Sir John Colton KCMG was an Australian politician, Premier of South Australia and philanthropist.Colton, the son of William Colton, a farmer, was born in Devonshire, England. He arrived in South Australia in 1839 with his parents, who went on the land...
ministry from June 1876 to October 1877, his last term of office.
In 1881 Ayers was elected president of the Legislative Council, and until December 1893 carried out his duties with ability, impartiality and courtesy. He died at Adelaide on 11 June 1897. His wife had died in 1881 and he was survived by three sons and a daughter. He was created CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1870, knighted KCMG in 1872 and raised to GCMG in 1894.
Legacy
Apart from his mining interests, Ayers held important directorates and was for many years a member and chairman of the board of trustees of the Savings Bank of South AustraliaSavings Bank of South Australia
The Savings Bank of South Australia was founded in 1848, trading from a single room in Gawler Place, Adelaide. In 1984 it merged with the State Bank of South Australia, with the merged entity taking the latter name...
; he was re-appointed chairman only a few days before his death. He was the first Chairman of the South Australian Gas Company, from 1862 was a governor of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, president of the South Australian Old Colonists' Association, and was for many years on the council of the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. He was in parliament for an unbroken term of 37 years and in no other Australian colony or state has a politician exercised so much influence or been in so many ministries while a member of the upper house. It is likely, however, that if Ayers had been in the House of Assembly he would have had more control of business, and his seven premierships would have been longer in duration and more fruitful in results. An address he gave on Pioneer Difficulties on Founding South Australia was published as a pamphlet in 1891.
Ayers resided in Ayers House from 1855 until 1897 and built it from a 9-room house into a grand mansion in the 1860s. The youngest child, Lucy, was born at Ayers House. During Sir Henry's parliamentary service, Ayers House was used for Cabinet meetings, parliamentary dinners and grand balls.
Family
Sir Henry and Lady Ayers had four sons:- Frank Richman Ayers
- Henry (Harry) Lockett Ayers (1844–1905), married Ada Fisher Morphett in 1866
- Frederick Ayers (-1897) (pre-deceased Sir Henry)
- Arthur Ernest Ayers