Lewis Adolphus Bernays (3 May 1831 – 22 August 1908) was a public servant and agricultural writer 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 , established_ ...

, Australia.

Early life

Bernays was the son of Dr Adolphus Bernays (a brother of Chakam

Isaac Bernays Isaac Bernays ( , , ; 29 September 1792 – 1 May 1849) was Chief Rabbi in Hamburg. Life Bernays was born in Weisenau (now part of Mainz). He was the son of Jacob Gera, a boarding house keeper at Mainz, and an elder brother of Adolphus Bernays. ...

), a professor of

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

and literature at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, and his wife Martha, née Arrowsmith, and was born in London. He was educated at King's College, and at the age of nineteen, emigrated to New Zealand, where he engaged in sheep farming for two years.

Australia

Bernays went to Sydney in 1852 obtained a position on the staff of the parliament of

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 ...

. In 1859 Sir George Bowen, the governor of Queensland had requested a clerk for the new

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

. Bernays was appointed and came to Brisbane in 1860, and was present at the opening of the first parliament. He organized the inner working of parliament, became an authority on procedure, and was the guide and friend of successive generations of members of parliament, until his death at Brisbane on 22 August 1908. Bernays had other activities and was for a time secretary to the Brisbane Board of Water Works and later a member of the board. He was one of the founders of the

Queensland Acclimatisation Society The Queensland Acclimatisation Society (QAS) was an acclimatisation society based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia which operated from 1862 to 1956. Its primary interest was in the introduction of exotic plants to Queensland, both for economic a ...

, and for a time its president. He was interested in economic botany, published ''The Olive and its Products'' (1872), and ''Cultural Industries for Queensland; Papers on the Cultivation of Useful Plants Suited to the Climate of Queensland'' (1883). In 1851 he married Mary Anne Eliza, daughter of William Borton. Created a C.M.G. in 1892, Bernays was a very competent public servant, who played a prominent part in the Queensland parliament. He knew thoroughly its law and practice, and in times of difficulties party leaders naturally turned to him. He was a man of culture and remained a student all his life. One of his sons, Charles Arrowsmith Bernays, born in 1862, was the author of ''Queensland Politics During Sixty Years'', and of ''Queensland—Our Seventh Political Decade''.

Later life

Bernays died of heart failure on 22 August 1908 following a short illness and was survived by five sons and four daughters. Bernays is buried in

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 cemet ...

Legacy

Bust of Lewis Adolphus Bernays CMG, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly 1859 to 1908, at the Opening of Queensland Parliament, 1953

In 1909, a bust of Bernays was commissioned from sculptor

James Laurence Watts James Laurence Watts (1849–1925) was a sculptor in Queensland, Australia. He was one of the pioneer sculptors in Australia and his works appear in many Queensland public buildings and places. Early life James Laurence Watts was born in the t ...

for the

Queensland Parliament House Parliament House in Brisbane is the meeting place of the Parliament of Queensland, housing its only chamber, the Legislative Assembly. It is located on the corner of George Street and Alice Street at Gardens Point in the CBD, and is next ...

References

* *Clem Lack,
Bernays, Lewis Adolphus (1831–1908)
, ''

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, Melbourne University Press, 1969, p. 149.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernays, Lewis Adolphus 1831 births 1908 deaths Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian non-fiction writers Burials at Toowong Cemetery 19th-century Australian public servants