James Whyte (30 March 1820 – 20 August 1882) was a
Scottish-born
Australian politician who served as the sixth
Premier of Tasmania
The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of ...
, from 20 January 1863 to 24 November 1866. Before moving to Tasmania, Whyte was a pioneering sheep-farmer in western Victoria. He and his brothers perpetrated the
Fighting Hills massacre of 40–80 Aboriginal people in Victoria while recovering stolen sheep.
Early life
James Whyte was born near
Greenlaw
Greenlaw is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water at the junction of the A697 and the A6105 in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. At the 2001 United Kingd ...
,
Berwickshire
Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of t ...
, in the
Scottish Borders, the son of George Whyte (died 1836), a captain in the yeomanry, and his wife Jessie (''née'' Walker).
The family emigrated to
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...
(now
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
) in 1832, and as a young man Whyte was a pioneer sheep-farmer in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
's
western district with his brothers, managing the approximately 57,000 acre Kononwotong sheep run near present-day
Coleraine, Victoria
Coleraine is a town in Victoria, Australia on the Glenelg Highway, west of the state capital, Melbourne and north-west of Hamilton in the Shire of Southern Grampians local government area. It was named after the town in County Londonderry, No ...
.
James later gained wealth from the discovery of gold at a property at
Clunes, Victoria
Clunes is a town in Victoria, Australia, 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2016 census it had a population of 1,728.
History
Pre-colonial
The Djadja Wurrung people were the first inhabitants of the region ...
, in which he was a partner. It was developed into the Port Phillip Gold Mine. He returned to Tasmania in 1853.
Whyte and his brothers are recognised as pioneers of Coleraine, Victoria with the Main Street named after them.
Aboriginal massacres
In 1840 James, his brothers and their convict servants perpetrated the
Fighting Hills massacre – their party killing between 40 and 80
Jardwadjali
The Jardwadjali (Yartwatjali), also known as the Jaadwa, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Victoria, whose traditional lands occupy the lands in the upper Wimmera River watershed east to Gariwerd ( Grampians) and west to Lake B ...
Aboriginal people while recovering stolen sheep. The party suffered no deaths despite furious resistance by the Aboriginal people. One of the coloniser's party was speared. The Jardwajali people fled in a moment of confusion after one of the attackers died in friendly fire.
A month later
stockmen from the Whyte brothers' station were involved in another massacre of up to 60 Jardwadjali people, the
Fighting Waterholes massacre
In April 1840 the Fighting Waterholes massacre of up to 60 Jardwadjali Aboriginal people of the Konongwootong Gundidj clan occurred near the current day Konongwootong reservoir (then known as Den Hills creek), near present-day Coleraine, Victoria, ...
.
His obituary later understated these incident saying:
"The difficulties with the savage aborigines were very great, and had to be overcome."
In 1845, the Konongwootong sheep run was divided - James took 8,000 acres of land, and named the run Koroite.
Political career
Having failed to win a seat in 1854, Whyte was elected to the
Legislative Council for
Pembroke in 1856. After serving briefly as a minister under the premiership of
Thomas Gregson
Thomas George Gregson (7 February 1796 – 4 January 1874) was the second Premier of Tasmania, serving from 26 February 1857 until 25 April 1857.
Early life
Gregson was born in Buckton, Northumberland, England, the son of John Gregson who was ...
and serving as chairman of several council committees, he became premier and colonial secretary on 20 January 1863.
His government engaged in road and rail development, in public service reform, and in fiscal reform including an unpopular proposal for a property and income tax which was to cause its downfall in November 1866. In 1869–70 he was involved in framing laws to prevent the spread of
scab disease in sheep, and was chief inspector of sheep from 1870 until 1882. He continued as an active member of committees until 1875, retiring from parliament in 1876.
Other works
Whyte was an active and philanthropic
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
Christian, a fellow of the
Royal Society of Tasmania
The Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) was formed in 1843. It was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom, and its mission is the advancement of knowledge.
The work of the Royal Society of Tasmania includes:
* Promoting Tasmanian historic ...
, and an original proprietor of the ''Tasmanian Daily News'' (incorporated with the ''
Hobart Town Daily Mercury
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
'' in 1858). He was married three times:
* (1) in January 1852 to Sarah Wilkinson (died in childbirth, November 1852);
* (2) in May 1857 to Elizabeth Gregson, elder daughter of
Thomas Gregson
Thomas George Gregson (7 February 1796 – 4 January 1874) was the second Premier of Tasmania, serving from 26 February 1857 until 25 April 1857.
Early life
Gregson was born in Buckton, Northumberland, England, the son of John Gregson who was ...
(died 1865);
* (3) in June 1868 to Elizabeth Coverdale, daughter of Dr John Coverdale, superintendent of an orphanage at
New Town.
Whyte died in
Hobart in 1882, leaving one son, James Wilkinson Whyte who later was the Tasmanian Recorder of Titles.
References
*
*Smith,Neil;
Whyte, James (1820 - 1882), ''
Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6,
MUP, 1976, pp 395–396.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whyte, James
1820 births
1882 deaths
Premiers of Tasmania
19th-century Australian politicians
Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia