Arthur Maning Topp (7 October 1844 – 17 January 1916)
was an Australian journalist who helped to establish the
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 ...
''Review''.
Topp was born in
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
,
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, being the eldest son of the late Samuel Topp, who emigrated to Australia in 1858. His maternal great-grandfather was William Blanchard (1749-1836), for 60 years editor and proprietor of the ''York Chronicle'', and uncle of William Blanchard (1769-1835), the well-known comedian of the Covent Garden Theatre. A. M. Topp was elder brother of Samuel St John Topp.
In 1858 Topp, his parents and a brother, Charles, left England for
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 ...
, and Arthur Topp completed his education at the
Church of England Grammar School
The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in East Brisbane, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Q ...
, which was just then opened with Dr. John Edward Bromby as Headmaster. Afterwards going into business, he took an active part in establishing the Melbourne ''Review'', of which the first number appeared in January 1876, and for six years was one of the editorial committee. He contributed to this periodical a number of articles, chiefly on political and historical questions. Two of them, "English Institutions and the Irish Race", and "A few more words on the Irish Question", appeared separately in pamphlet form and attracted a good deal of attention. Topp was a member of the Eclectic Association, fellow members Arthur Patchett Martin,
Theodore Fink
Theodore Fink (3 July 1855 – 25 April 1942) was an Australian politician, newspaper proprietor and educationist.
Early life
Fink was born in Guernsey on the Channel Islands, the son of Moses Fink, a shopkeeper, and his wife Gertrude, ''née'' ...
,
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...
and David Mickle were his close friends.
In 1878, in conjunction with Arthur Patchett Martin, he initiated a movement "for the purpose of expressing public appreciation of the services of the Bar of Beaconsfield in the settlement of the Eastern Question." A public meeting was held in the
Melbourne Town Hall
Melbourne Town Hall is the central city town hall of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and is a historic building in the state of Victoria since 1867. Located in the central business district on the northeast corner of the intersection between S ...
on 29 July 1878, at which a resolution to the above effect was carried with enthusiasm, and speeches were delivered by several prominent public men, including
James Francis
James Goodall Francis (9 January 1819 – 25 January 1884), Australian colonial politician, was the 9th Premier of Victoria. Francis was born in London, and emigrated to Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) in 1847, where he became a busin ...
and
James Service
James Service (27 November 1823 – 12 April 1899), Australian colonial politician, was the 12th Premier of Victoria, Australia.
Biography
Service was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Robert Service. As a young man James wor ...
. An illuminated address also was sent to Lord Beaconsfield (
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...
). In 1880 Topp joined the literary staff of ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' newspaper, and in 1882 that of the ''Argus'', with which he was connected for a number of years. He has contributed extensively to the columns of this paper and to the ''Australasian''.
On 17 January 1916 Topp died at
South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...
, survived by his wife Leila Leonora, ''née'' Sanders (they married at South Yarra in 1884) and by his two sons.