Benjamin Short (19 April 1833 – 10 June 1912) was an English-born Australian insurance salesman and
congregationalist evangelist.
Early life
He was born in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to spice merchant William Short and Elizabeth Smith. He worked as a coachbuilder in England, and migrated to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
in 1860 to work in insurance. He had married Elizabeth Thomas on 22 July 1856; they had nine children.
Working life
He was the first canvasser for the
Australian Mutual Provident Society
AMP is a financial services company in Australia and New Zealand providing superannuation and investment products, financial advice, and banking products (through AMP Banking) including home loans and savings accounts. Its headquarters is in Syd ...
(AMP), and by the 1870s was lecturing on life insurance around
New South Wales
)
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, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. In 1881 he returned to Sydney as chief metropolitan agent for AMP, and in 1886 he retired to
Bowral, New South Wales.
In 1887 and 1891 Short unsuccessfully ran for the AMP Board, winning on a reform platform in 1892. He lowered interest rates and equalised insurance for men and women; he retired due to limited terms in 1895 and was re-elected in 1896, and with the abandonment of limited terms served until his death. He was also involved in politics, running unsuccessfully for the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...
as a
Free Trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...
r in 1894 and 1895.
[
]
Sydney City Mission
Short's involvement with religion had begun in London with the London City Mission
London City Mission was set up by David Nasmith on 16 May 1835 in the Hoxton area of east London. The first paid missionary was Lindsay Burfoot. Today it is part of the wider City Mission Movement.
History
The London City Mission's early work ce ...
. He co-founded the Sydney City Mission in 1862 and was its secretary from 1863 to 1868. He was also a member of YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
.
Later life
In his retirement became a travelling evangelist. His wife died in 1887 and he married Elizabeth Jane Cantilo on 20 January 1890. Short died of influenza at Petersham in 1912.
See also
* Mission Australia
Mission Australia is a national Christian charity that provides a range of community services throughout Australia. It has its roots in the Brisbane Town and Country Mission (1859) and Sydney City Mission (1862), but was only officially establish ...
* Nathaniel Pidgeon
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Benjamin
1833 births
1912 deaths
Insurance agents