Henry Mort

Henry Mort (23 December 1818 – 6 September 1900) was a pastoralist, businessman, and politician in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. He was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

The Honourable Henry Mort
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for West Moreton
In office 21 June 1859 – 10 December 1859
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for West Macquarie
In office 2 December 1859 – 10 November 1860
Preceded by	John McPhillamy
Succeeded by	Richard Driver
Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office 22 August 1882 – 6 September 1900
Personal details
Born	Henry Mort (1818-12-23)23 December 1818 Bolton, Lancashire, England
Died	6 September 1900(1900-09-06) (aged 81) Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia
Resting place	St Jude's Church and Cemetery
Nationality	English Australian
Spouse(s)	Maria Laidley (m.1846 d.1873)
Occupation	Pastoralist, Woolbroker, Insurance broker

Early life

Henry Mort was born on 23 December 1818 at Willowfield, Bolton, Lancashire, England, the son of Jonathon Mort and his wife Mary (née Sutcliffe). He was educated in Manchester and came to Australia in 1840.[1]

From about 1841 to 1855 he was one of the pioneers in the Moreton Bay district (now the State of Queensland) working on pastoral stations. He was manager of Cressbrook Station in the Brisbane River Valley for David Cannon McConnel. Then in 1849, his brother Thomas Sutcliffe Mort leased the Laidley Plains pastoral station and appointed Henry Mort as manager. Henry Mort converted the station from sheep to cattle. In 1852, Henry Mort and his brother-in-law James Laidley took over the lease with Mort managing the Franklyn Vale portion of the station.[2]

On 6 My 1846 he married Maria Laidley, the daughter of James Laidley (senior), in St James' Church, Sydney.

In 1855, Henry Mort moved to Sydney and became a partner in his brother's woolbroking business Mort & Co, later Goldsbrough Mort & Co.[2] He was involved in many insurance companies and banks and one of the promoters of the Sydney Meat Preserving Company.[1]

Politics

Mort represented West Moreton (then part of New South Wales) in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from June 1859 to the seat's abolition with the separation of Queensland in December 1859. He then represented West Macquarie from December 1859 to November 1860. He was appointed a lifetime Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council on 22 Aug 1882.[3]

Later life

Henry Mort donated £3,000 to the construction of All Saints Anglican Church in Ocean Street, Woollahra; Mort lived in that street and his eldest son Henry Wallace Mort was the rector of the church.[4]

Mort died from pneumonia at his residence Anglesea, Ocean Street, Woollahra, Sydney on 6 September 1900 aged 81 years.[1] His funeral proceeded from his Woollahra residence to the All Saints Church and then to the St Jude's Church and Cemetery for burial.[5]

Legacy

The now heritage-listed Franklyn Vale Homestead in Grandchester, Queensland was established on Henry Mort's Franklyn Vale property in the early 1870s for his daughter and son-in-law, Edward Crase. Henry Mort was an occasional visitor to the property.[2]

The locality of Mount Mort in the vicinity of the homestead is named after the Mort family.[6]

All Saints Anglican Church is a heritage building.[7]

References

1. "DEATH OF MR. HENRY MORT, M.L.C." The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 8 September 1900. p. 11. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
2. "Franklyn Vale Homestead (entry 600728)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
3. "Mr Henry Mort". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
4. "Australian Christian Church Histories :: Woollahra NSW – All Saints Anglican". www.churchhistories.net.au. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
5. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 8 September 1900. p. 20. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
6. "Mount Mort (entry 47269)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
7. "All Saints Anglican Church -(Full Lep Listing – Description In Further Comments) | NSW Environment & Heritage". www.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 25 October 2015.

External links

Media related to Henry Mort at Wikimedia Commons  

New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New seat	Member for West Moreton 1859	Seat abolished
Preceded by John McPhillamy	Member for West Macquarie 1859–1860	Succeeded by Richard Driver