Edwin Cuthbert Hall (1874–1953) was an Australian physician and philanthropist who through a

bequest A devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...

funded the Edwin Cuthbert Hall Chair of Middle Eastern Archaeology within the Department of

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

. In 1973, the Hall Bequest was the second largest donation to the University after the Power Bequest.

Birth and education

Hall was born in Sydney to Reuben and Mary Ann Hall of

Ashfield, New South Wales Ashfield is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about eight kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Ashfield's population is highly multicultural with the majority of the area's d ...

, and attended

Newington College Newington College is a multi-campus Independent school, independent Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church Single-sex education, single-sex and Mixed-sex education, co-educational Pre-school education, early learning, Primary school, primar ...

(1886–1891). In 1889 and again in 1890, he won the Wigram Allen Scholarship, awarded by Sir George Wigram Allen, for mathematics, with David Edwards receiving it in 1890 for classics. At the end of 1891 Hall was named Dux of the College and received the Schofield Scholarship. He went up to the University of Sydney and in 1894 graduated as a Bachelor of Medicine and Chirurgery.

Marriages

Hall married Mary Blair Ewan a daughter of James Ewan of Glenleigh, Penrith. She was a niece of the late Sir

George Reid Sir George Houston Reid (25 February 1845 – 12 September 1918) was a Scottish-born Australian and British politician, diplomat, and barrister who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1904 t ...

. Mary Hall died in 1932. He married, secondly, Amella Wilmot Scanlan, youngest daughter of the late Augustus Scanlan of Mayfair,

Potts Point Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local government in Australia, local government area o ...

, in 1932. Hall was survived by his second wife on his death in 1953.

Medical career

After appointments as a resident medical officer and a medical superintendent at

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (abbreviated RPAH or RPA) is a large teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown. It is a teaching hospital of the Central Clinical School of the Sydney Medical School at the ...

, Hall became the Government Medical Officer at

Parramatta, New South Wales Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

in 1922. After the death of his first wife, Hall became a specialist with rooms in

Macquarie Street, Sydney Macquarie Street is a street in the Sydney central business district, central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Macquarie Street extends from Hyde Park, Sydney, Hyde Park at its southern end to the Sydney Opera House a ...

Botany

Hall was the author of several plant species, especially in the genus ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

''.

Death and bequest

The terms of Hall's will were that his estate was to be held in trust until the death of his wife "for the University of Sydney for the endowment of a Professorship in the subjects of Archaeology and Mythology in the Ancient Middle East, namely, Palestine, Egypt and Asia Minor." On 31 December 1959 the University received £88,608 12s. 7d. In 1960 the Edwin Cuthbert Hall Chair of Middle Eastern Archaeology was established with the first occupant being appointed on 2 August 1960.University of Sydney – The Edwin Cuthbert Hall Bequest.
Retrieved 12 June 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Edwin Cuthbert 1874 births 1953 deaths Australian medical doctors Australian philanthropists People educated at Newington College University of Sydney alumni