Samuel Hordern

Sir Samuel Hordern KBE (24 September 1876–3 June 1956) was an Australian businessman, animal breeder and philanthropist. Born into the prominent Sydney trading family, Hordern directed the family company of Anthony Hordern & Sons from 1909 to 1926.

Sir Samuel Hordern KBE
Hordern (right) with Justly Rawlings, c. 1924
Born	24 September 1876 Retford Hall, Darling Point, Colony of New South Wales
Died	3 June 1956 (aged 79) Babworth House, Darling Point, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Businessman Animal breeder Philanthropist
Title	Governing Director of Anthony Hordern & Sons (1909–26)
Spouse(s)	Charlotte Isabel Annie See (m.1900–1952; her death)
Children	Sam Hordern Doreen Hordern Charlotte Audrey Hordern
Relatives	Sir John See (Father-in-law) Celia Winter-Irving (Granddaughter)

Early years

Samuel Hordern was born on 24 September 1876 at Retford Hall, Darling Point in Sydney, the eldest son of Samuel Hordern and Jane Maria Booth. His father was the grandson of Anthony Hordern I, who established the eponymous store as a drapery shop in 1823, and his mother was the daughter of prominent Sydney produce merchant and later Alderman, John Booth.[1][2] Educated at Sydney Grammar School and Bath College in England, Hordern returned to Sydney in 1895 to take up employment in the family business.[1] On 4 March 1900, Hordern married Charlotte Isabel Annie See, daughter of Premier Sir John See, at St Jude's Anglican Church, Randwick and they would have one son and two daughters. In the same month, Hordern purchased the 1890 Federation Arts & Crafts house, "Tuxedo", in Albert Road, Strathfield, which became the family's residence until July 1914 when Hordern sold it for £3500.[3]

Anthony Hordern & Sons

On the death of his father in August 1909, in accordance with his father's will, Hordern took over management of the family company, which employed more than 4000 people in its store and mail-order business and imported, manufactured and sold a vast range of merchandise.[4][5] In 1910, Hordern purchased the 1837 Darling Point mansion, "Mount Adelaide", from the family of Henry Mort, and commissioned architects Morrow & De Putron to design and build a Federation Arts & Crafts mansion, which he named "Babworth House" and which became his family's primary residence from 1915 until his death in 1956.[6]

Hordern publicly listed the company in 1912 and restructured it in 1920.[7] Hordern retired from the business in 1926, when he sold it to a public limited liability company for the sum of AU£2,900,000, described at the time as the "largest business sale that has ever taken place in the history of Australia".[8][9][10]

Later career and philanthropy

He was a keen cattle, dog and horse breeder, and owner of racehorses, including the 1919 Melbourne Cup winner 'Artilleryman'. Hordern was knighted in 1919, received the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935) and the King George VI Coronation Medal (1937), and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1938 Birthday Honours.[11][12][13][14]

Hordern was president of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales (1915-1941) and developed the Sydney Royal Easter Show into a major national event.[15][16] Prominent in the Sydney Chamber of Commerce and many other business associations, he was a director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, president of the Master Retailers' Association, and chairman of the Australian Mutual Provident Society (1932–1947).[17][18]

On 1 December 1917 Hordern purchased on behalf on an interested group of benefactors, the former vice-regal residence, Cranbrook in Bellevue Hill, from the Government of New South Wales for a Church of England boys' school and contributed towards the establishment in 1926 of a Church of England girls' school in the same area: Kambala School.[19] He was a director of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (1913–1939) and served as chairman of the hospital board in 1933–1934.[20][21]

Later life and legacy

The Hordern Pavilion at the Sydney Showgrounds was built in 1924 to commemorate the Hordern family business and Hordern's long-standing role as president of the Royal Agricultural Society. Cape Hordern (originally "Hordern Island") in Antarctica was named after him by Douglas Mawson of the 1911–1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition to honour his philanthropic support of the expedition.[22] Hordern died age 79 on the same day as his sister, Jane, at his Darling Point residence, "Babworth House", on 3 June 1956.[23] Following his death in 1956 the contents of Babworth House were sold at auction and the mansion was sold to a trust to become a hospital.[6]

References

1. Simpson, Caroline (1983). "Hordern, Sir Samuel (1876–1956)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
2. "John Booth". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
3. Cathy, Jones. "'Tuxedo' 87-89 Albert Road Strathfield". Strathfield Heritage. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
4. "MR. SAMUEL HORDERN'S WILL". The Daily Telegraph (9468). New South Wales, Australia. 2 October 1909. p. 13. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "DEATH OF MR. SAMUEL HORDERN". The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. LXXXVIII (2493). New South Wales, Australia. 18 August 1909. p. 28. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Babworth House". Search for heritage. NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
7. "Anthony Hordern and Sons Limited". The Land. X (493). New South Wales, Australia. 2 July 1920. p. 15. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "ANTHONY HORDERN AND SONS. HISTORIC BUSINESS SOLD". The Sydney Morning Herald (27, 548). New South Wales, Australia. 21 April 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "SIR SAMUEL HORDERN". The Sydney Morning Herald (27, 548). New South Wales, Australia. 21 April 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "Anthony Hordern and Sons". The Manning River Times And Advocate For The Northern Coast Districts Of New South Wales. 56 (7029). New South Wales, Australia. 24 April 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "No. 31271". The London Gazette. 4 April 1919. p. 4414.
12. "NEW SOUTH WALES (STATE) LIST". The Sydney Morning Herald (30, 370). New South Wales, Australia. 6 May 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "Awards Made Of Special Coronation Medals". The Labor Daily (4191). New South Wales, Australia. 12 May 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
14. "No. 34518". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 7 June 1938. p. 3701.
15. "The President of the Royal Agricultural Society". The Armidale Express And New England General Advertiser. New South Wales, Australia. 28 May 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 18 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
16. "Pillars of the Royal Agricultural Society". Country Life Stock And Station Journal. XXXVI (95). New South Wales, Australia. 20 March 1925. p. 9. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
17. "COMPANY NEWS". The Sydney Morning Herald (29, 385). New South Wales, Australia. 10 March 1932. p. 11. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
18. "A.M.P. CHAIRMAN RESIGNS". The Sydney Morning Herald (34, 205). New South Wales, Australia. 8 August 1947. p. 6. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
19. "The Founders of Cranbrook School, 1917–1918". Cranbrook School Centenary. Cranbrook School and Old Cranbrookians' Association. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
20. "ROYAL PRINCE ALFRED HOSPITAL". The Sydney Morning Herald (31, 731). New South Wales, Australia. 12 September 1939. p. 14. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
21. "NEW CHAIRMAN". The Sun (7772). New South Wales, Australia. 28 November 1934. p. 4 (LAST RACE EDITION). Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
22. "Hordern, Cape". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
23. "SIR SAMUEL HORDEN [sic] AND SISTER DEAD". The Central Queensland Herald. 22 (1973). Queensland, Australia. 7 June 1956. p. 17. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.