Sir John Langdon Bonython (;

Charles Earle Funk Charles Earle Funk (1881–1957) was an American lexicographer. He was a member of the Funk family who owned the publisher Funk & Wagnalls; Dr. Isaac Funk was his uncle. Funk wrote several etymological dictionaries An etymological dictionary d ...

, ''What's the Name, Please?'' (Funk & Wagnalls, 1936). 15 October 184822 October 1939) was an Australian editor, newspaper proprietor, philanthropist, journalist and politician who served as a member of the inaugural federal Parliament, and was

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the

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 ...

daily morning broadsheet, '' The Advertiser'', for 35 years.W. B. Pitcher
Bonython, Sir John Langdon (1848–1939)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 339-341

Early life

Bonython was born in London in 1848, the second son of George Langdon Bonython (1820–1909), a carpenter and builder, and Annie MacBain (1824–1906). His siblings were George Langdon Bonython (1845–1921) and Alfred MacBain Bonython (1865–1954). George (senior) was born in Canada to which his parents Thomas Bonython (1787-1860) and Ann (nee Langdon 1800-1897?) had migrated. George was sent back to England into the care of his maternal grandfather John Harris Langdon, a successful architect/builder. Thomas, Anne and their family later returned to England and eventually migrated to South Australia in 1840, but without George. But after the death of his grandfather and employer John Harris Langdon, George (senior) with wife Ann and children, also migrated to

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 ...

in July 1854 where young John Langdon Bonython was educated at the Brougham School in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

. In 1870 he married Mary Louisa Fredericka Balthasar (Marie Louise Friedrike, or Marie Louise Frederica); they had eight children of whom three daughters and three sons survived infancy.

Media career

When he was sixteen, Bonython took a job at ''The Advertiser'', where he was well regarded as a hard worker. In 1879, he became a part proprietor of ''The Advertiser''. In 1894, Bonython became the sole proprietor and editor of ''The Advertiser'', positions which he held for a further 35 years. During this time, the weekly ''Chronicle'' and the evening ''Express'' newspapers were added to ''The Advertiser''. He retired from his newspapers in 1929, after 65 years' service. On 12 January 1929, Adelaide paper ''The Mail'' announced that Langdon Bonython had sold ''The Advertiser'' for £1,250,000 to a group of Melbourne financiers, but had retained a considerable interest.

Political career

Throughout his career, Bonython had avoided local politics, but after

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

in 1901 he was nominated to represent the single statewide

Division of South Australia The Division of South Australia was an Australian electoral division covering South Australia.The Northern Territory was part of South Australia until 1911. Its area was covered by the Division of Grey from 1903 to 1910. The seven-member state ...

as a

Protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...

in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

at the 1901 election. He ultimately finished second in the poll and was one of seven members elected. At that time, South Australia was a single electorate with multiple members. At the 1903 election, Bonython was elected unopposed for the newly created

Division of Barker The Division of Barker is an Australian Electoral Division in the south-east of South Australia. The division was established on 2 October 1903, when South Australia's original single multi-member division was split into seven single-member div ...

. In 1904, he was a member of the Select Committee on old-age

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

s, as well as the Royal Commission on the same subject in 1905–1906. Bonython did not stand for reelection at the 1906 election, and retired from politics. In 1908 he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) "In recognition of service to the Commonwealth of Australia".Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
9 November 1908 Citation: ''In recognition of service to the Commonwealth of Australia''

Public service and philanthropy

In 1883, Bonython was elected chairman of the Adelaide School Advisory Board. In 1889 he became the president of the council for the South Australian School of Mines and Industries, a position he held until his death. He often assisted the school with his own money, and provided the funds for the

chemical A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wi ...

and

metallurgical Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

laboratories A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...

there. Bonython became chairman of the council of the

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

at Roseworthy in 1895, and he held this position until 1902. He was knighted in 1898. He was appointed one of fourteen trustees under the soldiers' repatriation programme of 1916, and one of seven commissioners under the Australian Soldiers Repatriation Act 1917. Bonython joined the council of the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

in 1916, and donated over £50,000 for the construction of a hall, and £20,000 to fund a

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

. From 1916 to 1926, Bonython was also the deputy chairman of the South Australian advisory council of education. He donated £100,000 towards the construction of Parliament House in Adelaide. In 1919 he was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(KCMG) "In recognition of service to the Commonwealth".KCMG
3 June 1919 Citation: ''In recognition of service to the Commonwealth'' Bonython was vice-president of the

Royal Institution of Cornwall The Royal Institution of Cornwall (RIC) is a Learned society in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was founded in Truro on 5 February 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven ...

from 1900 until becoming president from 1932–33, succeeding

Viscount Falmouth Viscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of King Ch ...

. Despite living in Australia, and being unable to visit Cornwall during his presidency, he became one of the most active and hard working presidents that the institution had had. In 1931 he gave £2,000 to the

Royal Cornwall Museum The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro holds an extensive mineral collection rooted in Cornwall's mining and engineering heritage (including much of the mineral collection of Philip Rashleigh). The county's artistic heritage is reflected in the mus ...

building fund and the Bonython gallery on the ground floor was named in his honour. His wife, Lady Bonython, was also active in altruistic causes, notably the Kindergarten Union and State Children's Council, in association with

Catherine Helen Spence Catherine Helen Spence (31 October 1825 – 3 April 1910) was a Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, politician, leading suffragist, and Georgist. Spence was also a minister of religion and social worker, and supporter of ...

and

C. Emily Clark Caroline Emily Clark (6 September 1825 – 18 November 1911), invariably known as Emily Clark, was a South Australian social reformer well known for championing the cause of children in institutions and founding the "boarding-out system" for sett ...

. ;Bonython Hall:

Legacy

Bonython died in 1939, leaving an estate of over £4,000,000, which at the time was estimated to be one of the largest of any Australian. Beneficiaries under his will included the Pirie Street Methodist Church, where he always worshipped and of which he was a trustee; St Peter's Cathedral, to which he donated the cost of the canons' and choir stalls in 1925 in memory of his wife who had died the previous year; and the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Children

On 24 December 1870 Bonython married Mary Louisa Fredericka Balthasar ( – 9 February 1924) in Adelaide. She is also referred to in various references as "Marie Louise Friedrike", "Marie Louise Frederica", and after Langdon's knighthood in 1898, Lady Bonython. They had eight children of whom three daughters and three sons survived infancy. Outliving his wife and four of his children, he was survived by three daughters and one son, (John Lavington Bonython). His children included: *(1872–1873) Clive Hereward Bonython *(1874–1956) Mary Elsie Bonython, later Lady Parsons.On 18 April 1900 in the Pirie Street Methodist Church, Mary Elsie Bonython married Sir Herbert Angas Parsons (1872–1945), judge and politician. "Parsons spent many hours at the

Adelaide Club The Adelaide Club is an exclusive gentlemen's club situated on North Terrace in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. Founded in 1863, the club comprises members of the Adelaide Establishment. South Australian Club (1838–1843) An ea ...

, preferring its convivial atmosphere to his wife's Methodism". "Survived by Lady Parsons and their two sons, he died of cirrhosis of the liver". (Kwan, Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol.11 pp.148-150.)Elizabeth Kwan
Parsons, Sir Herbert Angas (1872–1945)
''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 11, Melbourne University Press, 1988, pp 148-150. (2 children) *(1875–1960) Sir

John Lavington Bonython Sir John Lavington Bonython (10 September 1875 – 6 November 1960) was a prominent public figure in Adelaide, known for his work in journalism, business and politics. In association with his father, he became involved in the management of n ...

who was a Lord Mayor of Adelaide. (2 marriages, 6 children) *(1877–1956) Edith Annie Bonython *(1879–1915) Hugh Trevarnon Bonython died 10 March 1915, only three weeks after his wife. *(1881–1965) Ada Langdon Bonython

Family name

Bonython was descended from an old Cornish family, well known in Tudor and Stuart times. Inspired by his grandmother, Bonython took an interest in his heritage. He had a fine library of books on Cornish history and was patron of the South Australian Cornish Association and a member of the

. Although he acquired some family relics, he deeply regretted that he could not buy back

Bonython Manor Bonython Manor near Cury, Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom is an estate garden on the Lizard peninsula. Since 1999, the owners have been Mr. & Mrs. Richard Nathan. Location It is located five miles (8 km) south of Helston, on the mai ...

, the family seat in Cornwall. After purchasing a large mansion in North Adelaide in 1908, he renamed it '

Carclew Carclew House, one of Britain's lost houses, was a large Palladian country house near Mylor in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was situated at approximately three miles north of Falmouth. Carclew House was for some generations owne ...

' after the area in Cornwall which his ancestors were from. Bonython told ''The

Literary Digest ''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current ...

'': "It is a Cornish name and the accent is on the second syllable: ''Bon-y'thon'', ''y'' as in ''spy''. The ancient family located at Bonython in the

Lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

district at a very early period. Existing deeds show that Stephen Bonython was in possession of the family lands in 1277."

Honours

Bonython was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed in 1898. In 1908 he was made a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG), and in 1919 was promoted to Knight Commander of that Order (KCMG). In 1935, Bonython was made the first Australian

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...

of the Cornish

Gorseth Kernow Gorsedh Kernow (Cornish Gorsedd) is a non-political Cornish organisation, based in Cornwall, United Kingdom, which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. It is based on the Welsh-based Gorsedd, which was founded by Iolo Mor ...

.Dunkerley Family Web Pages �
The Bards of the Gorseth of Cornwall in Australia
/ref> The

Division of Bonython The Division of Bonython was an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia between 1955 and 2004. In its final configuration, it was based on the outer northern suburbs of Elizabeth, Munno Para, Parafield, Paralowie, Salisbury, Virgin ...

, an Australian Electoral Division in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, was named after Bonython. It was created in 1955 and abolished in 2004.