William Highett (1807 – 29 November 1880) was a banker, landowner and politician in colonial
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 ...
. He was also a member of the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...
.
[
]
Early life
Highett was born in Weymouth, Dorset, England, in December 1807. His parents were Joseph Highett and his wife Elizabeth, ''née'' Harding.[
] There were at least three siblings, John (born 1810), Sarah (1812) and Mary (1817).
Colonial Australia
Along with his brother John, William Highett arrived in Hobart Town aboard the ''Elizabeth'' in February 1830.[ They had intended to continue on to Sydney but decided to settle in Tasmania, obtaining a grant of 500 acres of land near George Town. They later acquired additional land near Launceston and ]Campbell Town
Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, on the Midland Highway. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 823.
History
Traditional owners of the Campbell Town area
The traditional custodians of the Campbell Town area were t ...
.[ While John managed their landholdings, William became the accountant of the Launceston branch of the Bank of Van Diemen’s Land in May 1832. When the branch closed, William joined the Tamar Banking Company as a cashier in January 1835.
The brothers had crossed Bass Strait and were in Victoria by 1838 when William became first manager of the Melbourne branch of the ]Union Bank of Australia
The Union Bank of Australia was an Australian bank in operation from 1837 to 1951.
It was established in London in October 1837 with a subscribed capital of £500,000. The foundation of the bank had followed a visit to England by Van Diemen's Land ...
. In 1840 he became a local director with the title of managing director.[ He resigned in 1842 and sailed for Europe, not returning till 1845. On his return he was made a local director of the bank. In 1849 he was one of the founders of the Victoria Fire and Marine Insurance Company.
In 1852 he took a leading role in establishing the Bank of Victoria and became one of its directors and deputy chairman.
He was a founder and director of the Melbourne Banking Corporation and a major shareholder in the ]Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company
The Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company was incorporated on 20 January 1853 to build the line from Melbourne to the port of Sandridge, now Port Melbourne.
The proposal met ...
. He was also a founder of the Melbourne Auction Company (1840), the Melbourne Mechanics Institute (1839) and the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company
The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. The company opened a line from Princes Bridge railway station in Melbourne, Australia to Punt Road (Richmond) and over the Yarra River to South Yarra (then ...
(1857).
He was one of a number of early colonists who built substantial homes on the high ground in Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
. His neighbours included James Henty
James Henty (24 September 1800 – 12 January 1882), was pioneer, merchant and politician in colonial Australia.
Early life
James Henty was the eldest son of Thomas Henty, a wealthy English land-owner and banker from Tarring, West Sussex. He w ...
, Robert Hoddle
Robert Hoddle (21 April 1794 – 24 October 1881)
was a surveyor and artist. He is best known as the surveyor general of the Port Phillip District (later known as the Australian state of Victoria) from 1837 to 1853, especially for creation of ...
, and Alfred Malleson. He was a trustee of St Stephen’s Church, Richmond.
He was joint licensee of the 27,000 acre Maindample pastoral run by January 1847.
On 29 August 1853 Highett was nominated to the unicameral Victorian Legislative Council along with several others due to the expansion of the Council. Highett held this position until the original Council was abolished in March 1856.[ After an unsuccessful candidacy in 1856,][ Highett was elected to Eastern Province in the new Council (now the upper house) in April 1857, after successfully petitioning the incumbent, ]William Kaye
William Kaye (February 13, 1813 – November 19, 1890) was the fifteenth Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from April 4, 1863, to April 1, 1865.
Early life
William Kaye was born on February 9, 1813, in Fornley, Tyas Moor, Yorkshire, England. ...
, for bribery. Highett held the seat until September 1880.[
He was an early member of the ]Melbourne Club
The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne.
The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...
(1838) and served on the committee (1840-1850) and as a trustee. He was also an early member of the Melbourne Cricket Club
The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is a sports club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is one of the oldest sports clubs in Australia.
The MCC is responsible for management and development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground ...
.
Highett was living in Bridge Road, Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, at the time of his death on 29 November 1880.[ He never married.][
]
Legacy
Highett owned 6,117 acres of land in the Moorabbin Shire by the 1870s. Part of that land was named after him and is now the Melbourne suburb of Highett.[ There is a Highett Street in ]Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
where he lived and owned land. There is a Highett Road in the suburb of Highett and a Highett Street in Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
which is located on a pastoral run he once owned.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Highett, William
1807 births
1880 deaths
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Politicians from Dorset
English emigrants to Australia
19th-century Australian politicians
Australian bankers
19th-century Australian businesspeople