Samuel Mullen (27 November 1828 – 29 May 1890) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born bookseller, active in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

.J. P. Holroyd,
Mullen, Samuel (1828 – 1890)
, ''

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 ...

'', Vol. 5,

Melbourne University Press Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne. History MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text books and stationery to students, and soon began publishing books itself. ...

, 1974, pp 309-310. Retrieved 2009-10-22 Mullen was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the son of George Mullen, a bookseller, and his wife Eliza, ''née'' Orson. Mullen was educated at Nuttgrove College and later at

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. At age 16, Mullen was indentured to an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

, but did not like the work. In 1844 Mullen was apprenticed to William Curry and Company Booksellers and some time afterwards went to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and joined the firm of Parker and Company. With his friend, George Robertson, Mullen emigrated to Australia, sailing in the and arriving at

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on 12 November 1852. Mullen went to the Western District to visit some friends and stayed for six months on a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

. He then joined George Robertson as his first assistant in Melbourne and remained with him until 1857. Mullen went to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to act as buyer for Robertson, but the arrangement fell through and Mullen decided to start for himself in Melbourne. He returned with a brother, William Lowell Mullen, and a good stock of books, and began business at 35 Collins Street East in 1859. Mullen started a high-class library based on Mudie's of London which became a leading lending library in Melbourne. The book-shop was also very successful, a large stock was carried, and it was a centre of intellectual life in the city for a time. Mullen retired from business in 1889 and died while on a visit to

on 29 May 1890. Mullen was married twice, firstly to Eliza Moss (died 15 October 1868) and secondly to Wilhelmina Wild on 17 September 1870. Mullen was survived by children from both marriages. Mullen's business continued on in Collins Street until 1922, when it merged with George Robertson and Company under the name of Robertson and Mullens Ltd.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullen, Samuel 1828 births 1890 deaths Australian publishers (people) Businesspeople from Dublin (city) Businesspeople from Melbourne 19th-century Australian businesspeople Australian booksellers