Ambrose Henry Spencer Kyte ( – 16 November 1868) was a merchant and politician in colonial
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...
.
[
]
Kyte was born in
Nenagh
Nenagh (, ; or simply ''An tAonach'') meaning “The Fair of Ormond” or simply "The Fair", is the county town and second largest town in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the ...
,
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
, Ireland, the son of Stephen Kyte and his wife Margaret, ''née'' Mitchell.
[
]
Kyte arrived in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
in January 1840, finding work as a brewer's labourer.
[ Kyte opened a hay and corn store in ]Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and tr ...
in 1845, later he expanded into general merchandise and invested in urban properties.[
In September 1858 Kyte offered a sum of £1000 towards the expenses of an exploring expedition to cross the Australian continent from south to north. This led to the despatch of the ill-fated ]Burke and Wills expedition
The Burke and Wills expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria in Australia in 1860–61. It consisted of 19 men led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with the objective of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the s ...
in August 1860.[ Kyte stood for ]East Melbourne
East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. East Melbourne recorded a population of 4,896 at the 2021 ...
as a candidate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne.
The presiding ...
, and defeated Edward Langton
Edward Langton (2 January 1828 – 5 October 1905) was an Australian businessman and politician, Treasurer of Victoria in 1868 and 1872–1874.
Langton was born in Gravesend, Kent, England, the youngest son of David Elland Langton, a butcher, an ...
,[ who in February 1866 defeated him in a contest for the same constituency.][ Kyte represented ]Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
from January 1867 to December 1867.[
Kyte died in ]Carlton, Victoria
Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 3 km north of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government areas of Vic ...
on 16 November 1868, survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyte, Ambrose Henry Spencer
1820s births
1868 deaths
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
People from Nenagh
Irish emigrants to colonial Australia
Burials in Victoria (Australia)
19th-century Australian politicians