John Fairfax Conigrave (c. 1843 – 20 June 1920), generally referred to as J. F. Conigrave or J. Fairfax Conigrave, was a businessman in South Australia. Conigrave was born in

Rundle Street, Adelaide Rundle Street, often referred to as "Rundle Street East" as distinct from Rundle Mall, is a street in the East End of the city centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street to East Terrace, where it becomes Ru ...

, the son of a Benjamin Conigrave, a cabinetmaker and his wife Matilda, née Reeve. He was educated at

John L. Young John Lorenzo Young (30 May 1826 in London – 26 July 1881 at sea) was an English-Australian educationalist and founder of the Adelaide Educational Institution. History Young was born in London, a son of John Tonkin Young (1802 – 10 April 1 ...

Adelaide Educational Institution Adelaide Educational Institution was a privately run non-sectarian academy for boys in Adelaide founded in 1852 by John Lorenzo Young.B. K. Hyams'Young, John Lorenzo (1826–1881)' ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 6, Melbourne Uni ...

from 1853 to 1858, when he left school to join the reporting staff of the

South Australian Register ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and ...

. Around 1880 he left to join with C. N. Collison (another AEI student) in the real-estate business as Conigrave & Collison. He was appointed secretary to the fledgling

South Australian Chamber of Manufactures The South Australian Chamber of Manufactures was founded in 1868 to promote manufacturing industries in the Colony and State of South Australia. Strongly Protectionist, it lobbied on such subjects as unionized labour, Federation, rail standardizatio ...

, with offices co-located in Santo Buildings,

Waymouth Street Waymouth Street, often spelt as Weymouth Street in the early days, is an east–west street running between King William Street and West Terrace in the Adelaide city centre in South Australia. The street is named after Henry Waymouth, a foundi ...

, under financial arrangements criticised by

Rowland Rees Rowland Rees (25 September 1840 – 13 October 1904) was an architect, civil engineer and politician in South Australia. Early life Rees was born in Gibraltar, the eldest son of Rowland Rees, of Sutrana House, Dover, and later alderman of B ...

as over-generous. He was secretary of the Committee charged with the organization of the 1887

Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition The Adelaide International Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 was a celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne on 20 June 1837, held in Adelaide, South Australia in 1887. It was also ...

. He also served as secretary to the Australian Widows' Fund Life Assurance Society. He left for Western Australia in 1896, and was secretary to the

Perth Chamber of Commerce The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA), founded in 1890,Poprzeczny, Joe. (1998) ''Roles for community. Obituary of former president of Perth Chamber of Commerce, the WA Employers Federation and the Confederation of WA I ...

Other interests

*He was prominent in committees of the YMCA, the Australian Natives' Association and the North Adelaide Literary Society. *He was a lay reader at the Congregational Church, Brougham Place *He was a keen amateur historian and often gave lectures on aspects of South Australian history *He was a prominent member of the

Royal Geographical Society of Australasia The Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, formerly the Geographical Society of Australasia, was an Australian organisation formed in 1883 until it split up into various state organisations in the 1920s. The South Australian and Queensland b ...

Family

He married Sarah Price of

Hindmarsh Island Hindmarsh Island () is an inland river island located in the lower Murray River near the town of Goolwa, South Australia, Goolwa, South Australia. The island is a tourist destination, which has increased in popularity since the opening of the ...

; among their children were *Effie Marian Conigrave (1870– ) married

Eben Allen Ebenezer "Eben" Allen (15 November 1868 – 20 May 1931) was an Australian businessman and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1911 to 1917, representing the seat of West Perth. Allen was born in ...

(a future MP) in 1895, lived in Perth *Berkeley Fairfax Conigrave (1871–) member of

Modern Pickwick Club The Modern Pickwick Club was a young men's literary and social club founded in Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1890s. History The club was formed in 1891 as a social club restricted, by invitation, to 30 members, all unmarried men. It was a cond ...

, moved to London *Mabel Conigrave (1873– ) *Ida May Conigrave (1875– ) *

Charles Price Conigrave Charles Price Conigrave (1882–1961) was a West Australian zoologist, author and explorer. He led the Kimberley Exploring Expedition of 1911, making collections of flora and fauna, and mapping the region between Cambridge Gulf and Napier Broom ...

(1882–1961), lived in the Northern Territory *Gladys Reeve Conigrave (1884–1920), died in Singapore Their last home was "Lingerwood", 6 Richardson Street, West Perth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conigrave, J Australian businesspeople People educated at Adelaide Educational Institution Australian Congregationalists Colony of South Australia people 1840s births 1920 deaths