Johann Christian (John) Heussler (1820–1907) was a businessman and politician in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia. He was a
Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May ...
.
Early life
Johann Christian Heussler was born at
Bockenheim,
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
, Germany on 15 June 1820. He was educated at the state school, and was subsequently a student at a French institution at Bockenheim, and Dr. Jeiteles's Mercantile Institute at Frankfurt. He entered in business as a wine merchant at Frankfurt, and later on, while still young, received an important appointment in a mercantile firm in Holland, representing the firm at the London Exhibition in 1851. He emigrated to Australia in 1852, and established a business, in partnership with others, 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 ...
.
[
]
Business interests
Due to poor health he moved to Brisbane 1854 and established the mercantile firm Heussler and Co. Over two decades Heussler became a highly respected business man and citizen of Queensland. He was recognised as a founding member of the Queensland Club
Queensland Club is a heritage-listed club house at 19 George Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1882 to 1888 by J Smith & Sons. It was added to ...
, Consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
for the Netherlands, German Consul, and Emigration Agent for German shipping companies.[
]
Politics
Heussler was appointed to the Queensland Legislative Council
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...
on 26 September 1866. Although a lifetime appointment, his seat was declared vacant on 8 October 1870 due to his absence from Queensland. However, he was reappointed on 13 December 1870 and remained on the Council until his death on 26 October 1907. As a member of the council, he acted as President, as (acting) Chairman of Committee, and as a Commissioner at the opening of Parliament at various times.[
While ]Robert Herbert
Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert, (12 June 1831 – 6 May 1905), was the first Premier of Queensland, Australia. At 28 years and 181 days of age, he was the youngest person ever to be elected premier of an Australian state.
Early years
Born ...
was Queensland Premier
The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is a ...
, John Heussler was sent to Germany as an immigration agent, resulting in prosperous German and Scandinavian (mainly Danish) settlements in the Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues.
True rosewoods
All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated ...
, Logan River
The Logan River ( Yugambeh: ''Dugulumba'') is a perennial river located in the Scenic Rim, Logan and Gold Coast local government areas of the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The -long river is one of the dominant waterways in Sout ...
, Albert River, Darling Downs
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...
, Maryborough, Hervey Bay
Hervey Bay () is a city on the coast of the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately or 3½ hours' highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located on the bay of the same name open to ...
, Kolan
Kolan is a settlement and municipality in Zadar County
Zadar County ( hr, Zadarska županija ) is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its seat is the city of Zadar.
Geography
Among the largest tow ...
and other districts.[
]
Fernberg
In May 1860 Heusller purchased a portion of land (Portion 223) high on a hill on what was most likely undeveloped natural bushland (but later the suburb of Rosalie, now Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...
).
He purchased the adjoining Portion 291 two years later in partnership with George Reinhard Francksen. In 1864 Francksen died and the land passed to Heussler.
Heussler is believed to have built his home ''Fernberg
Government House is a heritage-listed mansion at 170 Fernberg Road, Paddington, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the official residence of the governor of Queensland, the representative of the Australian monarch in Queensland. It was o ...
'' on that land in 1865, giving it a name of German origin that meant ''"distant mountain"''. The design of the house is attributed to Benjamin Backhouse
Benjamin Backhouse (182929 July 1904) was an architect and politician in Australia. He was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
Early life
Benjamin Backhouse was born in England in 1829. He was a Bachelor of Arts and was educa ...
, an architect responsible for several substantial commissions in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Local examples of his work include other villa residences such as Baroona
Singleton is a town on the banks of the Hunter River in New South Wales, Australia. Singleton is 197 km (89 mi) north-north-west of Sydney, and 70 km (43 mi) north-west of Newcastle. At June 2018, Singleton had an urban po ...
, Cintra House
Cintra House is a heritage-listed villa at 23 Boyd Street, Bowen Hills, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1863 to 1890s. It is also known as Cintra. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
History
The or ...
, Riversleigh (on North Quay) for Edward Tufnell and Old Bishopsbourne
Old Bishopsbourne is a heritage-listed house at 233 Milton Road, Milton, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Benjamin Backhouse and built from 1865 to 1959. It is also known as St Francis Theological College and Bishops ...
. Due to financial difficulties, Heussler was forced to leave the property in 1872 and for the next five years Fernberg was leased. In November 1877 the estate was advertised for sale. The house and grounds were described as being:[
]
''"Built of brick and stone, being four stories high, having below kitchen and servants' room; on the ground floor spacious drawing, dining, and breakfast rooms; on the first floor three large bedrooms, and one large room on the second floor. The roof is covered with slates, the verandahs and balconies being spacious, and presenting a delightful retreat for the enjoyment of pure air, shade and widespread and charming view. The grounds are all enclosed, the timber having been thinned so to give the place a park-like appearance, and there is a shrubbery and garden around the house."''[
]
In February 1910, the Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...
decided to lease Fernberg as a temporary residence for the Governor of Queensland
The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...
following the formal dedication of the original Government House
Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries.
Gover ...
as the University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
on 10 December 1909. At the same time, plans for a new Government House to be erected at Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to:
Places Australia
* Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales
* Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse
* Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...
were being prepared; however work on the new house never progressed beyond the construction of footings. In June 1911, despite reports that the residence was too small, the government purchased Fernberg as Queensland's Government House which it remains to this day (albeit considerably modified and extended over the years).[
]
Later life
John Heussler died on Saturday 26 October 1907 at his home ''Unthank'' at Christian Street, Albion (now Clayfield
Clayfield is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Clayfield had a population of 10,555 people.
Geography
Clayfield is by road from the Brisbane GPO. Clayfield is bordered to the north by Nundah, to the east by ...
). His funeral moved from his home to the Toowong Cemetery
Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...
.[Heussler Johan Christian]
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
See also
* Members of the Queensland Legislative Council, 1860–1869
This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Council from its creation on 1 May 1860 to 31 December 1869. Appointments, made by the Governor of Queensland, were for life, although many members for one reason or another resigned. Prior ...
; 1870–1879; 1880–1889; 1890–1899; 1900–1909
References
Attribution
Further reading
* — a book written by his great-grandson
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heussler, Johann Christian
Members of the Queensland Legislative Council
1820 births
1907 deaths
Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register
Businesspeople from Frankfurt
Burials at Toowong Cemetery
19th-century Australian politicians
Pre-Separation Queensland