Anthony Hopkins Davis (c. August 1796 – 4 June 1866) was a businessman and horticulturist in the early days of the Colony of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

History

Davis was a partner in the firm of Wesley & Davis of London, publisher of religious tracts and such worthy titles as ''Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave'' and Samuel Wilderspin's ''Early discipline'' (both 1832). Business may have been precarious, as in 1837 he and his wife Mary and four children were among the earliest emigrants to South Australia, aboard ''Lord Goderich'', arriving in April 1838. He immediately set about establishing Moore Farm Garden at

The Reedbeds The Reedbeds was in the 19th and early 20th centuries the generally recognised name for an area of seasonal freshwater wetlands to the west of Adelaide, South Australia comprising the floodplains of the River Torrens, and drained to Gulf St Vinc ...

(now part of

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

Lockleys Lockleys is an inner western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of West Torrens. Australian Bureau of Statistics data from May 2021 revealed that Adelaide's western suburbs had the lowest unemployment rate in South Australia. History The area ...

and Underdale). He did more to advance farming in the infant colony than any other person, with the exception of George Stevenson. For many years, he was one of the most successful exhibitors at the Agricultural and Horticultural shows. He was a conspicuous critic of

Governor Gawler Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, KH, (21 July 1795 – 7 May 1869) was the second Governor of South Australia, at the same time serving as Resident Commissioner, from 17 October 1838 until 15 May 1841. Biography Early life Gawler, born on 21 ...

's spending policy, but in the recession attendant on Governor Grey's stringent financial measures of 1841–1842, he lost a considerable part of his fortune, and abandoned his business interests to concentrate on the farm. He was elected an alderman on the first Adelaide City Council, which was disbanded in 1843 as unaffordable. In 1846, he took part in the protests against state-sponsored religion and was one of four secretaries to the Anti - State Aid League, the other three being Chief Justice

R. D. Hanson Sir Richard Davies Hanson (6 December 1805 – 4 March 1876), was the fourth Premier of South Australia, from 30 September 1857 until 8 May 1860, and was a Chief Judge from 20 November 1861 until 4 March 1876 on the Supreme Court of South Austr ...

John Baker John Baker or Jon Baker may refer to: Military figures *John Baker (American Revolutionary War) (1731–1787), American Revolutionary War hero, for whom Baker County, Georgia was named *John Baker (RAF officer) (1897–1978), British air marshal ...

and

William Bakewell William Bakewell (May 2, 1908 – April 15, 1993) was an American actor who achieved his greatest fame as one of the leading juvenile performers of the late 1920s and early 1930s. Early years Bakewell was a native of Los Angeles, where he at ...

. He was a member of the Central Roads Board during the fierce agitation against the dray and land taxes in 1849-50, both of which the Government was forced to abandon. He was appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1849, he supported representative government, and denounced attempts to establish a peerage, whether life or hereditary. He stood for West Torrens at the first elections for the unicameral

South 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. It sits in Parli ...

1851 Events January–March * January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion. * January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-day Columbia College, receives its charter from the Missouri General Assembly. ...

, but was defeated by

Charles Simeon Hare Charles Simeon Hare (1808 – 22 July 1882) was a politician in colonial South Australia. Hare was born in London, England, and arrived in South Australia in September 1836, with Sir John Morphett, to whom he acted as private secretary, and was ...

, by a majority of two. He never again stood for public office, but was for some years Chairman of the District Council of West Torrens. His political views then changed remarkably – in 1953 he supported, in letters under the signature of "Vigil", the conservative view of an upper house appointed for life. He expounded these views in the journal ''Thursday Review'' he edited in 1859. He frequently aired his views in "Letters to the Editor". His obituary noted that "... though in his writings he displayed some want of respect for the opinions of others, and although many complained of a bitterness of manner in dealing with political questions and political men, all acknowledged his sincerity, and respected his never-failing moral courage ... and who, in his various public positions, displayed the qualities of an able man and a good citizen." He suffered ill-health through the last years of his life and died at Moore Farm, Reedbeds.

Family

Abraham Hopkins Davis (c. August 1796 – 4 June 1866) was married to Mary Davis (c. 1793 – 3 April 1846). Their children who emigrated were: *Mary Ann Davis (ca. 1819 – 29 November 1857) married Henry Stanford ( – 1872? 1881?) of Meadows on 31 October 1844 *Emily Davis (c. 1820 – 26 March 1856) married Thomas Stanford ( – 1887?) on 19 January 1848 *Frederick Charles Davis (c. 1827 – 23 March 1881) married Nancy Nicholls ( – 1874) on 10 December 1851, settled at Crystal Brook *Alfred Davis ( – c. 8 May 1873) married Ellen Frances Palmer (c. 1834 – 17 March 1862) on 12 June 1856 He married a second time, to Harriet Williams (c. 1803 – 17 September 1866) on 8 May 1848. Her mother died at Moore Farm on 21 May 1849.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Abraham Hopkins 1796 births 1866 deaths Australian horticulturists 19th-century Australian businesspeople