Frederick Dalgety
Canadian-born English merchant and financier active in Australia
About Frederick Dalgety
Lived 1817 – 1894 (aged 76).
Frederick Gonnerman Dalgety (Canada, 3 December 1817–London, 20 March 1894) was a merchant and financier, the founder of Dalgety plc, one of the United Kingdom's largest conglomerates. He was born in Canada to Alexander Dalgety, army officer, and his wife Elizabeth, née Doidge.
Career Dalgety arrived at Sydney in Australia on 2 June 1834 (at the age of 16) in the Dryade and was an apprentice clerk in a local merchandising business, T. C. Breillat & Co, a business that was just being set up by Thomas Chaplin Breillat.
In December 1842 he moved to Melbourne, which had only recently been established, and became manager of a new wool trading firm.
In 1859, he returned to live permanently in England at Lockerley Hall in Hampshire and was appointed High Sheriff of Hampshire for 1877.
In 1884, with advancing age, the increasing demand for capital and competition from joint-stock companies and banks, Dalgety incorporated his private partnerships as a joint-stock company, called Dalgety & Co, which was listed on the London Stock Exchange. By that time it had operations in London, Melbourne, Geelong, Launceston, Dunedin, Christchurch and Sydney.
Family In December 1855 he married Blanche Trosse Allen and together they had five sons and five daughters, none of whom went into the business. She died on 11 April 1883. Dalgety died in Hampshire on 20 March 1894.
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Important facts
People in Frederick Dalgety's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Frederick Dalgety's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Frederick Dalgety?
Canadian-born English merchant and financier active in Australia (1817 - 1894)
When was Frederick Dalgety born?
Frederick Dalgety was born on 3 December 1817 in Montreal.
When did Frederick Dalgety die?
Frederick Dalgety died on 20 March 1894.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Frederick Dalgety
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frederick Dalgety. https://biography.guide/frederick-dalgety/
MLA: "Frederick Dalgety." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frederick-dalgety/.
Chicago: "Frederick Dalgety." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frederick-dalgety/.
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