Sir Edward Knox (6 June 1819 – 7 January 1901) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

-born Australian politician, sugar refiner and banker.

Early life

He was born in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

, Denmark, to merchant George Knox and Elizabeth Frances, née Mullens. His father was from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. His mother was born in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

. He received his schooling at

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

. He became a merchant at 16, training in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

, Germany, before entering his uncle's

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 ...

merchant house as a clerk. He then 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 1840 deciding on a new life as a pastoralist.

Career in business

He was employed by the Australian Auction Company and in 1843 rose to the position of manager before transferring to the Australasian Sugar Company. He was eventually a partner in a sugar distillery, which he leased to his employers. In 1855 he founded the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, of which he was the first chairman of directors, a position he held until 1901. Knox expanded his interests establishing refineries and mills throughout Australia, New Zealand and later Fiji. He handed over the management of the company to his son Edward William but stayed on as chairman until 1901. He was a respected employer displaying an interest in his employees by establishing one of the first staff provident funds. Knox had other business interests notably in banking and commerce. A director of the

Commercial Banking Company of Sydney The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, also known as the CBC, or CBC Bank, was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank. Hi ...

between 1845 and 1901, he became manager in July 1847. He then became a director of the Sydney Tramway and Railway Company, and helped establish the Sydney Chamber of Commerce.

Career in politics

Knox was appointed to the first

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

in 1856–57. He later resigned due to his absence from the colony and founded the Victoria Sugar Company. He served again in the Legislative Council from 1882 to 1894 during which time he was active in opposing Sir Alfred Stephen's divorce bills.

Personal life

Knox married Martha Rutledge on 4 June 1844, with whom he had eight children. In 1894 he celebrated his golden wedding anniversary and fifty years with the company with a memorable testimonial hosted by the directors, officers and employees of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. Knox was a devout Anglican and active churchman serving as a member of Synod and countless church committees. His charitable works included the ''Benevolent Society and Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary'' of which he acted as director, and he was founding director and chairman of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He was knighted in 1898. Sir Edward Knox died at his residence "Fiona" in

Woollahra Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. W ...

on 7 January 1901. He is buried at Sydney's

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, 1878) and P. Beddie (cemetery office, 1915 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Edward 1819 births 1901 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Australian Knights Bachelor 19th-century Australian politicians People from Helsingør