Joseph Abbott

Joseph Abbott (August 184315 June 1903) was a wool-broker and politician in New South Wales.

Abbott joined the wool-broking firm of Mort and Company in 1863 and remained closely associated with the business throughout his life. He rose from a clerical position to be made a partner and later a director of the company. Abbott initiated annual auction sales of stud sheep in Sydney, at which he was the chief auctioneer from 1875 to 1888. As a prominent advocate of free trade he represented the Newtown and Newtown-Camperdown electorates in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from February 1888 to July 1895.

Biography

Early years

Joseph Abbott was born in August 1843 at Parramatta, New South Wales, the youngest son of Henry Kingsmill Abbott and Martha Anne (née Lavarey or Lefroy). Joseph was born to a widowed mother, his father had been murdered in December 1842 at Parramatta Gaol where he was the chief turnkey (prison guard).

Young Joseph was educated at the Church of England Denominational School at Parramatta, but despite his abilities and a particular aptitude for figures, his widowed mother could not afford to keep him at school. After leaving school in about 1858, intending to become a newspaper reporter, he took shorthand lessons in Sydney and in order to develop public speaking skills he joined young men's improvement and debating societies.

In 1863 Abbott travelled to Queensland on a mining venture, but soon afterwards returned to Sydney. His employment by Mort and Co. was the beginning of a period of nearly forty years of Abbott's active connection with the Sydney wool trade. The couple initially lived in the inner west suburb of Glebe, but soon afterwards moved to Newtown. They had three daughters and six sons; their eldest child, George, was born in August 1867.

In January 1875 Abbott was listed as a candidate to become an alderman of Newtown Council, to represent the O'Connell Ward of the borough. His occupation was recorded as "writing clerk", living in Newtown Road. Of the two nominated candidates for O'Connell Ward, Abbott was elected as an alderman in February 1875.

In 1875 Mort and Co. inaugurated stud sheep sales in Sydney, an initiative by Joseph Abbott. As a wool salesman for Mort and Co. he had travelled extensively throughout the colony and his understanding of the requirements of wool growers originated the idea of securing stud sheep for auction, mostly of the merino breed and initially from Tasmania. Previously such sales had only been carried out in Melbourne. The first sale of pure bred merino rams from two Tasmanian studs was held in October 1875 on the stock quarantine grounds at Randwick and Abbott personally conducted the sale as auctioneer. The first stud sheep sale was a modest affair, but it filled a need and expanded in subsequent years, becoming an annual event. For the remainder of the 1870s the sales were held at the new quarantine grounds at Petersham, with the exception of the 1879 sale held in October at the Sydney International Exhibition. In 1880 and subsequent years the annual sale of stud sheep was held in Mort and Co.'s wool warehouse at Circular Quay. During the 1880s the annual auction sales became known as the Stud Sheep Fair. He had risen from a junior clerk in the extensive organisation of Mort and Co. to become a partner in the business and manager of the wool and produce department. Abbott was considered to be a "self-made man", his position in life being attributed to "his own perseverance, industry, and integrity".

Abbott resigned as an alderman of the municipality of Newtown (O'Connell Ward) in May 1879. In about 1880 the family moved to the inner west suburb of Croydon. Under the new company structure Abbott was appointed as a director.

Political career

After the death of Frederick Gibbes, one of the members representing the three-member Newtown electorate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, a by-election was held to fill the vacancy. Abbott was a known supporter of free trade and was induced to stand for the seat by the veteran politician Sir Henry Parkes. A meeting of electors was held on 31 January 1888 to nominate candidates to represent the electorate in the place of the late member. The two nominations represented the prevailing political divisions of free trade and protectionism, with James Francis Smith as the protectionist candidate and Joseph Abbott a free trade supporter. The most vocal of the assembled electors favoured Smith, with Abbott's address being continuously interrupted and his nomination being met with "loud demonstrations of opposition".

At the 1889 general election held in February 1889, for the three-member Newtown electorate six candidates were nominated, three each of advocates of free-trade and protectionism. The result was a complete victory for the free-trade candidates; all three were elected with Abbott topping the poll with 21 percent of the vote. In parliament Abbott "was a staunch freetrader, and was always prominently identified with the movement", particularly in the period up to October 1891 under Sir Henry Parkes' leadership of the Free Trade Party. In June 1889 he was elected to the board of directors of the Australian Mutual Provident Society. He also held directorship positions in the Royal Exchange and the Commercial Union Insurance Company. During his parliamentary career Abbott "displayed a wide knowledge of the problems connected with land legislation, and had a clear grip of State finances, enunciating his views when necessary with logical clearness".

Abbott retired from politics because of ill-health after the New South Wales parliament was dissolved on the advice of the premier, George Reid in early July 1895.

Abbott resigned as a director of the Australian Mutual Provident Society in about 1901 "on account of his continued ill-health". All his sons were educated at Newington College. He initially became a partner in Lambton, Milford & Abbott but in 1909 he retired from that firm and became a partner in Garland, Seaborne and Abbott. From 1947 until 1949 he was president of The Incorporated Law Institute of New South Wales.