John Whyte (1826 – 16 February 1902) was a pastoralist and businessman in the early years of
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 ...
. He was born in Kinross, Scotland. He was a partner with James Counsell in the grocery wholesaler and Murray paddle steamer firm ''Whyte, Counsell & Co.'' (until 1884) as well as owner of significant sheep runs. He married the widow Louisa Heath, a sister of James Counsell, on 18 May 1854.
Early life
Whyte was born in Kinross in 1826. one of his schoolteachers was a nephew of
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
, the Scottish poet, and schoolmates included Sir
Henry Campbell-Bannerman
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (né Campbell; 7 September 183622 April 1908) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. He served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 190 ...
who later became Prime Minister of Great Britain. He served an apprenticeship in
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
as a draper and milliner then opened his own shop in
Galway, Ireland
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on t ...
. His brother William Whyte had migrated to the Victorian gold rush, and John Whyte migrated to
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 ...
in 1853, his first employment being in Louisa Heath's drapery in
Hindley Street, Adelaide
Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after Charles Hindley, a British parliamentarian and so ...
.
Whyte, Counsell & Co.
Whyte, Counsell & Co. were wholesale grocers and shipowners. James Counsell (Louisa Heath's brother), John and William Whyte established the grocery firm of Whyte, Counsell and Co. In 1864 they built a large building in
Currie Street, Adelaide
Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map of the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...
steamers which were loaded with goods from their warehouse and sold along the Murray-Darling river system.
Whyte withdrew from the partnership in 1884, taking a share of the paddle steamers and the Currie Street property.
Pastoralist
While still a partner in Whyte, Counsell and Co, Whyte had also become involved as a pastoralist, taking up or purchasing several runs in the
Murray Mallee
The Murray Mallee is the grain-growing and sheep-farming area of South Australia bounded to the north and west by the Murray River (in South Australia, "River Murray"), to the east by the Victorian border, and extending about 50 km south ...
region south of the Murray River. He also then purchased runs in the
Mid North
The Mid North is a region of South Australia, north of the Adelaide Plains and south of the Far North and the outback. It is generally accepted to extend from Spencer Gulf east to the Barrier Highway, including the coastal plain, the southern ...
and Far North of South Australia. Some of the pastoral leases he acquired had previously been stocked with cattle, but Whyte restocked them with sheep.
In 1877, Whyte had held a total of 21 pastoral leases covering a total of (not all at the same time). He grazed up to 61,783 sheep in addition to some cattle.
The town of Whyte Yarcowie is named in part in honour of John Whyte.
Paddle steamers
In 1890 he was owner of ''Decoy'', ''Tolarno'', ''Saddler'' and ''South Australian'', and at the time of his death in 1902 he was the owner of ''Menindie'' and ''Saddler''.