Johann Christian "John" Heussler (1820–1907) was a German-born businessman and politician in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council.

Early life

Johann Christian Heussler was born at Bockenheim,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany on 15 June 1820. He was educated at the state school, and was subsequently a student at a French institution at Bockenheim, and Dr. Jeiteles's Mercantile Institute at Frankfurt. He entered in business as a wine merchant at Frankfurt, and later on, while still young, received an important appointment in a mercantile firm in Holland, representing the firm at the London Exhibition in 1851. He emigrated to Australia in 1852, and established a business, in partnership with others, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Business interests

Due to poor health he moved to Brisbane 1854 and established the mercantile firm Heussler and Co. Over two decades Heussler became a highly respected business man and citizen of Queensland. He was recognised as a founding member of the

Queensland Club Queensland Club is a heritage-listed Club (organization), club house at 19 George Street, Brisbane City, Queensland, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 18 ...

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

for the Netherlands, German Consul, and Emigration Agent for German shipping companies.

Politics

Heussler was appointed to the

Queensland Legislative Council Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...

on 26 September 1866. Although a lifetime appointment, his seat was declared vacant on 8 October 1870 due to his absence from Queensland. However, he was reappointed on 13 December 1870 and remained on the Council until his death on 26 October 1907. As a member of the council, he acted as President, as (acting) Chairman of Committee, and as a Commissioner at the opening of Parliament at various times. While

Robert Herbert Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert, (12 June 1831 – 6 May 1905), was the first Premiers of Queensland, Premier of Queensland, Australia. At 28 years and 181 days of age, he was the youngest person ever to become premier of an Australian state ...

was Queensland Premier, John Heussler was sent to Germany as an immigration agent, resulting in prosperous German and Scandinavian (mainly Danish) settlements in the

Rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

, Logan River, Albert River,

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generally ...

, Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Kolan and other districts.

Fernberg

In May 1860 Heusller purchased a portion of land (Portion 223) high on a hill on what was most likely undeveloped natural bushland (but later the suburb of Rosalie, now

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

). He purchased the adjoining Portion 291 two years later in partnership with George Reinhard Francksen. In 1864 Francksen died and the land passed to Heussler. Heussler is believed to have built his home '' Fernberg'' on that land in 1865, giving it a name of German origin that meant ''"distant mountain"''. The design of the house is attributed to Benjamin Backhouse, an architect responsible for several substantial commissions in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Local examples of his work include other villa residences such as Baroona, Cintra House, Riversleigh (on North Quay) for Edward Tufnell and Old Bishopsbourne. Due to financial difficulties, Heussler was forced to leave the property in 1872 and for the next five years Fernberg was leased. In November 1877 the estate was advertised for sale. The house and grounds were described as being:

''"Built of brick and stone, being four stories high, having below kitchen and servants' room; on the ground floor spacious drawing, dining, and breakfast rooms; on the first floor three large bedrooms, and one large room on the second floor. The roof is covered with slates, the verandahs and balconies being spacious, and presenting a delightful retreat for the enjoyment of pure air, shade and widespread and charming view. The grounds are all enclosed, the timber having been thinned so to give the place a park-like appearance, and there is a shrubbery and garden around the house."''

In February 1910, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

decided to lease Fernberg as a temporary residence for the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the state of Queensland. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia, governor-general at the national level, the governor Governors of ...

following the formal dedication of the original Government House as the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

on 10 December 1909. At the same time, plans for a new Government House to be erected at Victoria Park were being prepared; however work on the new house never progressed beyond the construction of footings. In June 1911, despite reports that the residence was too small, the government purchased Fernberg as Queensland's Government House which it remains to this day (albeit considerably modified and extended over the years).

Later life

John Heussler died on Saturday 26 October 1907 at his home ''Unthank'' at Christian Street,

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...

(now Clayfield). His funeral moved from his home to the

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland, Queensland's lar ...

.Heussler Johan Christian
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 20 February 2015.

Family

Heussler married Sophia Esther Westgarth (c. 1824 – 5 June 1914) on 10 March 1859. Their children include: *Frederick John Heussler (c. 1860 – 26 June 1939) married Kate Chatfield; they had two sons and two daughters. *William James Heussler (c. 1862 – 27 February 1948) married Amy Constance Henry (c. 1862 – 28 July 1936) on 23 November 1892; they had two sons and two daughters. Amy Constance Heussler was a prominent feminist, a founder of United Associations, temperance and peace activist. *Louise Christine Heussler married John Cameron on 27 December 1899.

References

Attribution

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heussler, Johann Christian Members of the Queensland Legislative Council 1820 births 1907 deaths Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Businesspeople from Frankfurt Burials at Toowong Cemetery 19th-century Australian politicians Pre-Separation Queensland Immigrants to the Colony of New South Wales