John Thomas Playfair (1832 – 15 November 1893) was an English-born Australian butcher, ship's providore, politician and benefactor.

Early life

John Thomas Playfair, known as Thomas Playfair, the eldest son of tailor Thomas Playfair and Mary Anne, née Arnold, was baptised on 12 February 1832 in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England. He went to sea at the age of twelve, becoming a captain's steward in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. In 1859 he settled in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, entering into a partnership with wholesale butcher E. J. Baily, also operating a separate business as a shipping butcher at

103 George Street, The Rocks 103 George Street, The Rocks is a heritage-listed retail building and residence located 103 George Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built du ...

. On 7 November 1860 he married Ellen Matheson, with whom he had three sons. After her death in 1866, he married her sister, Georgina Hope, on 26 February 1867; they had a daughter and two sons.

Career

Following the death of E. J. Baily, Playfair continued the business partnership with his widow. The ship's providore venture grew into a prosperous enterprise. Playfair was a

Sydney City Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

lor, representing Gipps Ward continuously from 1875 to 1893. His achievements during his time in the Council include the widening of George Street North and the erection of new cattle sale-yards at

Homebush Homebush is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the Municipali ...

. Serving as Mayor of Sydney in 1885, he pledged to "improve the homes of the poor, and clear out the dark places of the city". In 1889 he was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

as a

Free Trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

member for West Sydney, serving only one term before his defeat in 1891.

Personal life

Playfair was a generous benefactor to several charities, including the Sydney Ragged School, the Sisters of St Joseph's Providence and the

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

. Playfair died at his home in Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross on 15 November 1893, following an attack of rheumatic gout. He was interred in the Church of England section of

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, 1878) and P. Beddie (cemetery office, 1915 ...

. His estate, which included approximately thirty properties in the city,

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

, North Sydney and Manly, was divided between his four surviving children, Thomas Arnold, Edmund John Baily, Jessie and Alfred Donald. The butchering business was bequeathed to Edmund.

Legacy / Memorials

Playfair Street and Playfair Stairs, both located in The Rocks, are named after Thomas Playfair. The Playfair Memorial Drinking Fountain was installed at the Flemington sale-yards in May 1896, in recognition of Playfair's efforts to modernise Sydney's water supply. The fountain was moved to

Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta Council. It is commonly known as Olympic Park but officially na ...

on 1 March 1968. A plaque was placed on the doors of Holy Trinity Church in

Millers Point Millers Point is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, adjacent to The Rocks and is part of the local government area of the C ...

in 1960 in his memory.

Early life

Career

Personal life

Legacy / Memorials

References

Further reading