Sir James Hay Gosse (21 December 1876 – 14 August 1952) was an Australian businessman, sportsman, and philanthropist. He was involved with a number of different companies and community organisations in and around

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

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 ...

Early life

Gosse was born in Kent Town, Adelaide, the second of three children born to the explorer William Gosse and his wife Agnes (née Hay). His father died when he was four years old. His grandfathers were the surgeon William Gosse Sr. and the politician Alexander Hay. Gosse was educated at

St Peter's College, Adelaide , other_name = The Collegiate School of St Peter , seal_image = St Peter's College, Adelaide Logo.svg , seal_size = 150 , image = SPSC chapel and memorial hall.jpg , image_size ...

, leaving in 1896.Gosse, Sir James Hay (1876–1952)
- Australian Dictionary of Biography. He was a talented player of Australian rules football, playing for the

Norwood Football Club Norwood Football Club, nicknamed the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club competing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in the state of South Australia. Its home ground is Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval), which i ...

between 1894 and 1905 as a ruckman. He won premierships in 1894 and 1904, and represented South Australia in four interstate games. He also excelled at rowing, representing his state between 1902 and 1905; he was later president of the

Adelaide Rowing Club The Adelaide Rowing Club (ARC) is a rowing club located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Patron of the ARC is the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Mr Martin Haese. The club is affiliated to the South Australian Rowing Association (SAR ...

from 1924 to 1931.

Business career

After leaving school, Gosse joined George Wills & Co. as a clerk. Rising through the ranks, he managed the company's

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

division from 1911 to 1918, and eventually became the managing director of the company as a whole, with which he was associated for over 50 years. Gosse also served on the boards of

News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...

, the Executor Trustee & Agency Company of South Australia, JABAS, the

Adelaide Steamship Company The Adelaide Steamship Company was an Australian shipping company and later a diversified industrial and logistics conglomerate. It was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods b ...

, and the

Bank of Adelaide The Bank of Adelaide was founded in 1865 in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It was incorporated by an act of the Parliament of South Australia. The original directors of the company were Henry Ayers, Thomas Greaves Waterhouse, Robert ...

. He was chairman of the last two for periods, and also served as chairman of the Australian Association of British Manufacturers and president of the South Australian Chamber of Commerce.

Community work

Gosse was president of the Norwood Football Club from 1920 to 1939 and president of the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as t ...

(SANFL) from 1945 until his death in 1952. He was a governor of his old school St Peter's College from 1917 to 1938, and served on the board of the

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...

. Gosse had a keen interest in environmental matters, serving two terms as president of the Royal South Australian Zoological Society (1923 to 1931 and 1935 to 1947) and as president of the state government's Fauna and Flora Board from 1940 to 1952. In 1948, he donated of land in the Coorong for conservation purposes. In the previous year's

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...

he had been created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

, "in recognition of public service in South Australia".GOSSE, James Hay
It's an Honour. Retrieved 17 May 2018.

Personal life

On 29 April 1908, Gosse married Joanna Lang Barr Smith, the daughter of the pastoralist Tom Elder Barr Smith. The couple had five children together. His daughter

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

married the politician and diplomat Sir

Alick Downer Sir Alexander Russell "Alick" Downer (7 April 1910 – 30 March 1981) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1949 and 1963, representing the Liberal Party, and served as Minister for ...

; their son

Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...

also entered politics. A nephew,

George Gosse Lieutenant Commander George Gosse, (16 February 191231 December 1964) was an Australian recipient of the George Cross, the highest award for heroism or courage, not in the face of the enemy, that could be awarded to a member of the Australian ...

, was a decorated soldier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gosse, James Hay 1876 births 1952 deaths Businesspeople from Adelaide Australian Knights Bachelor Australian corporate directors Sportsmen from South Australia Australian conservationists Norwood Football Club players South Australian National Football League administrators