John Cox Bray
Encyclopedia
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(31 May 1842 – 13 June 1894) was a prominent 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...
n politician and the first native-born Premier of South Australia (1881-1884).
Early life
Born in East AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia, Bray was the second of four sons (with two daughters) of early immigrants to the new colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
. His father, Tom Cox Bray (1815–1881), was a native of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, 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...
, and his mother, Sarah Pink (1813-1877), was from the same county (her father, William Pink (died 1853), also settled in Adelaide, and was employed as a labourer in the Survey of South Australia). The couple were married at St Mary's parish church, Portsea, Hampshire, on 22 July 1838, just prior to their embarkation for Australia in the Prince George.
In the early years in Adelaide, T.C. Bray worked as a shoemaker, following in the footsteps of his own father, William Bray, who, rather than being a captain in the Royal Navy as is traditionally claimed, in fact, worked as a cordwainer
Cordwainer
A cordwainer is a shoemaker/cobbler who makes fine soft leather shoes and other luxury footwear articles. The word is derived from "cordwain", or "cordovan", the leather produced in Córdoba, Spain. The term cordwainer was used as early as 1100 in England...
and cabinet maker prior to his early death in 1816, aged about 26 years.
The Bray family appears to have moved to the Portsmouth area from the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, in contradiction to the very garbled accounts of their origins to be found in Burke's Colonial Gentry (1891-1895), volume 2, under "Bray of Adelaide", and in the American Supplement (1939) to Burke's Landed Gentry
Burke's Landed Gentry
Burke's Landed Gentry is the result of nearly two centuries of intense work by the Burke family, and others since, in building a collection of books of genealogical and heraldic interest,...
(1937 edition), now renamed Burke's American Family Records with British Ancestry, and found under "Bray" (covering the career and descent of Professor William Crowell Bray (1879-1946), head of the Chemistry department at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, who belonged to the Canadian branch of the Bray family which had been established in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1839 by William Bray, J.P., R.N. (1814-1882), a gunnery officer
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and the elder brother of T.C. Bray).
Educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, Adelaide
St Peter's College, , is an independent boy's school in the South Australian capital of Adelaide...
and in England, Bray read law in South Australia, and was called to the South Australian Bar in November 1870. Meanwhile, his parents, elder brother and sisters returned to England, due to an improvement in their circumstances said to be the result of T.C. Bray's having inherited shipping interests from his paternal grandfather, possibly George Bray (elsewhere called Charles Bray), who had disapproved of his son's marriage to Ann Cox (1789-1840), later Winship, daughter of a farmer from Southsea, Hampshire.
Once in England, the family lived in comfort first at Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
in 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...
, and later at Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
in which Mrs Bray died. The elder son, Thomas William Bray (1840-1887), was sent to Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
, and later became an Anglican clergyman. He was father of Sir Denys Bray
Denys Bray
Sir Denys de Saumarez Bray, KCSI, KCIE, CBE was an etymologist and Secretary of the Foreign Department of the Government of India....
(1875-1951), K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E., C.B.E.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, sometime Foreign Secretary to the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, and Indian delegate to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
during the British colonial period
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
T.C. Bray lived the rest of his life as a gentleman, moving to Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley south-east of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
in 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...
, where he had descendants in the mid 1980s. He died in Scotland and his will was proved in Scotland and South Australia. Descendants include Sir John Henry Kerr
John Henry Kerr
Sir John Henry Kerr, KCSI, KCIE was a colonial governor in British India-Life:John Henry Kerr was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, the elder son , of John Smith Kerr, tea and sugar merchant of Greenock, and his wife, Sarah Ann Bray, elder daughter of Tom Cox Bray, an early settler of...
, colonial governor in India, David Russell
David Russell (guitarist)
David Russell is a classical guitarist.-Biography:When Russell was five years of age, his family moved from Glasgow to Minorca, where he became interested in the guitar, imitating the likes of Andrés Segovia and Julian Bream....
, classical guitarist, and Piers Sellers
Piers Sellers
Piers John Sellers OBE is a British-born Anglo-American meteorologist and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of three space shuttle missions....
, astronaut.
Political career
In Adelaide, J.C. Bray practised law only briefly, as a solicitor, before being elected to the South Australian House of AssemblySouth Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
as M.P. for East Adelaide in December 1871, a constituency he held until his retirement from politics on 6 January 1892.
Bray served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Education in the 3rd Blyth
Arthur Blyth
Sir Arthur Blyth KCMG was premier of South Australia three times; 1864–1865, 1871–1872 and 1873-1875....
ministry (15 March 1875 - 3 June 1875). He also served as Attorney-General (June 1876 - 26 October 1877) 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, when he was responsible for introducing an "Act to Provide for the formation and registration of trades unions", the first such legislation in Australia. He served as Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
to the Morgan
William Morgan (Australian politician)
Sir William Morgan KCMG was the Premier of South Australia between 1878 and 1881.-Early life:William Morgan was born in Bedfordshire, England, the son of George Morgan, a farmer, and his wife Sarah, née Horne. He emigrated to South Australia, arriving in Port Adelaide on 13 February 1849 in the...
ministry (October 1877-24 June 1881), and Premier and Chief Secretary of the Province of South Australia (24 June 1881-23 April 1884), and Premier and Treasurer of South Australia (23 April 1884 – 16 June 1884). At the time, he was the longest-serving premier of the colony. He visited England and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1884 to 1885, returning to serve as Chief Secretary of South Australia (14 October 1885-June 1887), and Treasurer (8 June 1886 – 7 June 1887) in the 1st Downer
John Downer
Sir John William Downer, KCMG was the Premier of South Australia from 16 June 1885 until 11 June 1887 and again from 1892 to 1893. He was the first of three Australian politicians from the Downer family dynasty.-Early life:...
ministry. He was acting Premier during Downer's absence in England until June 1887. Due to his popularity, Bray was elected Speaker (served 31 May 1888 - June 1890), after which he refused renomination to that office. He was Chief Secretary in the 2nd Playford ministry (19 August 1890 – 6 January 1892), when he left politics, sparking the East Adelaide by-election
East Adelaide by-election, 1892
A by-election was held for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of East Adelaide on 23 January 1892. This was triggered by the resignation of the progressive former Premier and state MHA John Cox Bray.-Results:...
, which saw the first Labor MP elected in South Australian history.
Bray attended the Sydney Intercolonial Conference in 1883, and was one of seven South Australian representatives at the first Federal Convention at Sydney in 1891.
Late life and legacy
Bray was appointed Agent General for South Australia in London (served 29 February 1892 – April 1894), resigning early because of ill health.On 13 June 1894, he died at sea between Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
and Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
aboard the Oceana en route for South Australia. His obituary appeared in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London) of 19 June 1894.
Bray was created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
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....
(KCMG) by Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
in the New Year's Honours List for 1890. His wife, Alice Maude née Hornabrook, Lady Bray, survived him until 1935. They had three sons and one daughter.
- The youngest son, Harry Midwinter Bray (1879-1965), an Adelaide stock broker, was the father of the Honourable Dr John Jefferson BrayJohn Jefferson BrayThe Honourable Dr John Jefferson Bray, AC was an Australian lawyer, academic and published poet, and from 1967-1978 served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia.-Family:...
(1912-1995), poet, lawyer, academic, and judge, who served as Chief Justice of South AustraliaSupreme Court of South AustraliaThe Supreme Court of South Australia is the superior court for the Australian State of South Australia. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. The Supreme Court is the highest South Australian court in the Australian court...
and Chancellor of the University of AdelaideUniversity of AdelaideThe University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. - In 1904 Bray's only daughter, Blanche Ada Bray (1881-1908), married Sir John Lavington BonythonJohn Lavington BonythonSir John Lavington Bonython was a prominent public figure in Adelaide, known for his work in journalism, business and politics. In association with his father, he became involved in the management of newspapers including The Advertiser; he also served as editor of The Saturday Express and as a...
(1875-1960), sometime Mayor and later Lord Mayor of Adelaide, member of the well-known family of newspaper proprietors, philanthropists, and art connoisseurs. She bore him three children before dying 4 years later in childbirth aged 26: John Langdon BonythonJohn Langdon Bonython (1905-1992)-Family:*Born into the "Old Adelaide Family" Bonython*Grandfather: John Langdon Bonython*Father: John Lavington Bonython*Mother: Blanche Ada Bray*Siblings: Two sisters, two half-brothers , one half-sister....
AO (1905-1992); Elizabeth Hornabrook Bonython (1907-2008), later Lady Betty WilsonKeith WilsonKeith Wilson may refer to:*Keith Wilson , English writer, performance poet, musician and broadcaster*Keith Wilson , American mixed martial artist...
CBECBECBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
, who lived to age 101; and Ada Bray Heath (1908-1965).
Bray's descendants continue to include people prominent in Australian politics and the Australian judiciary
Judiciary of Australia
The judiciary in Australia is modelled substantially on the system of courts which existed in England.The large number of courts and tribunals in Australia have different procedural powers and characteristics, different jurisdictional limits, different remedial powers and different cost...
.
Bray was the first native-born South Australian to serve as premier, speaker, and agent-general for the colony.