John Davies (10 June 1814 – 11 June 1872) co-founded the Australian newspaper '' The Mercury''. Davies was a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. He was transported to

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, Australia as a

convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convicts ...

in August 1831, for ordering candles on someone else's account. His father had been transported to

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

only a few years before. On 5 July 1854 he and Auber George Jones, a

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

n pastoralist, published the first edition of ''The Mercury''. In 1871 Davies passed the management of ''The Mercury'' to his sons.Boyer, p. 234. In June 1872 he opened up the theatre building (which he then owned) to

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

people seeking temporary shelter due to

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s. He caught a chill from which he died on 11 June 1872. Davies' son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

played

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for

and was thrice Mayor of Hobart.

Sources

* Boyer, P. (1981) "Davies, Sir John George (1846 – 1913)", ''Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 8'', Melbourne University Press.

References

1814 births 1872 deaths Australian newspaper founders Australian Jews English Jews English emigrants to colonial Australia Davies Brothers Pty Ltd 19th-century Australian newspaper publishers (people) {{Australia-business-bio-stub