John Henry Challis (6 August 1806 – 28 February 1880) was an

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

-Australian merchant, landowner and philanthropist, whose

bequest A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably. The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the act ...

to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

allowed for the establishment of the Challis Professorships.

Early life and migration

Challis was born in England, the son of John Henry Challis, sergeant in the 9th Regiment, and his first wife. He was educated at several schools and trained as a clerk. He then migrated to Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, arriving on the ''Pyramis'' on 9 May 1829 as a steerage passenger. He was employed by Marsden and Flower, merchants. In 1842 the firm was reorganized under the name of Flower, Salting and Company, when Challis was admitted as a junior partner. The business dealt in wool, whale oil other commodities and became very prosperous. He acquired several properties, including a large holding at Potts Point, pastoral licenses of over 12,000 sq. miles (31,080 km²) in southern New South Wales, more than 3,500 cattle and 11,000 sheep. In 1855 he sold his business interests and returned to England. Returning to Europe, Challis spent much of his time travelling.

Sydney University bequest

In 1856 Challis subscribed for stained glass windows in the Great Hall of the University of Sydney; in 1859 he re-visited Sydney and gave for the 'Royal Window'. Challis died in France on 28 February 1880 and was buried at

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, England. Under his will the whole of his residuary estate was left to the University of Sydney, subject to a tenure until death or remarriage of his widow Henrietta, and a provision that the estate should accumulate for five years after such death or remarriage. Henrietta died on 19 September 1884 and because Challis had been residing in England, the English Inland Revenue Commission claimed legacy duties. The University of Sydney's chancellor, Sir William Montagu Manning, strenuously argued against the Commission's claims which were subsequently abandoned. In 1890 a sum of about was handed to the University Senate, which 50 years later, partly by increases in value of land and the falling off of annuities, had increased to . The income from the fund has provided for seven professorships (in anatomy, zoology, engineering, history, law, modern literature, and logic and mental philosophy) and several lectureships. The bequest, however, meant more than that. When it was made public it created much interest in the University, the Senate adopted an extended scheme of teaching, and the government increased the amount of the annual grant by . The University also developed a property in

Martin Place Martin Place is a pedestrian mall in the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. Martin Place has been described as the "civic heart" of Sydney.

, subsequently named

Challis House Challis House is a heritage-listed commercial building located at 4-10 Martin Place in the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The property was added to the New South W ...

. Completed in 1907 and remodelled in the

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style in 1936 and again refurbished in 1973, the commercial premises provides income to sustain Challis' legacy. A portrait of Challis is in the Great Hall of the University, and there is also a marble statue of him by

Achille Simonetti Achille Simonetti (12 June 1857 – 19 November 1928) was a prominent Italian violinist and composer, mainly resident in England and Ireland. He was mainly known as a chamber musician and teacher. Life Born in Turin on 12 June 1857, Simonetti le ...

References

Bibliography

* *David S. Macmillan,
Challis, John Henry (1806 - 1880)
,

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

, Volume 3, MUP, 1969, pp 374–375. {{DEFAULTSORT:Challis, John Henry English philanthropists Australian philanthropists Australian people of English descent 1806 births 1880 deaths Australian people in whaling Australian ship owners 19th-century British philanthropists 19th-century English businesspeople 19th-century Australian businesspeople