Samuel Bennett (28 March 1815 – 2 June 1878) was a journalist, newspaper owner and historian in colonial Australia. __NOTOC__

Background

Bennett was born in

Camborne Camborne (from Cornish language, Cornish ''Cambron'', "crooked hill") is a town in Cornwall, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 20,845. The northern edge of the parish includes a section of the South West Coast Path, Hell's Mouth, C ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, England. He migrated to Australia in 1841, having been engaged by Messrs. Stevens & Stokes of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' to superintend the typographical department of that paper. Having held this post for seventeen years, in 1859 Bennett purchased ''The Empire'' newspaper which had been started by

Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and the longest-serving non-consecutive Premier of New South Wales, premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in ...

nine years previously. Messrs. Hanson & Bennett conducted ''The Empire'' for several years as a daily and weekly journal, Bennett becoming sole proprietor some time before it ceased publication. Bennett also started in 1867 ''

The Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Sumatera Utara Hari Ini'', a North Sumatra news broadcast ...

'', and in 1870 ''

The Australian Town and Country Journal ''Australian Town and Country Journal'' was a weekly English language broadsheet newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, from 1870 to 1919. The paper was founded by Samuel Bennett with his intention for it to be "valuable to everybody ...

'', a weekly newspaper, both of which achieved phenomenal success, with circulations of 32,000 and 30,000 respectively in 1881. Bennett was the author of ''The History of Australian Discovery and Colonisation'', which is recognised as a standard work of reference.

Legacy

Bennett died of

tetanus Tetanus (), also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'' and characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually l ...

at his residence, Mundarrah Towers, Little Coogee, Sydney, New South Wales, on 2 June 1878. Bennett had married Eliza ''née'' Sellers of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

; they had seven children together. Bennett was survived by three sons (all three – Alfred b.1851, Frank b.1853 and Christopher b.1857 – joined their father and continued his newspaper business, his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

providing for his eldest surviving son to be the managing proprietor, they succeeded each other in birth order) and a daughter, Rose, also a proprietor, who married

John Henniker Heaton Sir John Henniker Heaton, 1st Baronet, (18 May 1848 – 8 September 1914) was a United Kingdom Member of Parliament and a postal reformer and journalist in Australia. Early life Heaton was the only son of Lieutenant Colonel John Heaton and ...

. In November 1918 the firm of S. Bennett Ltd, capital £200,000, was established to acquire the assets of Samuel Bennett, including the ''Evening News'', ''Town and Country Journal'', and ''Woman's Budget''. Directors include K. L. Bennett.

References

External links

The History of Australian Discovery and Colonisation
online vestion at babel.hathitrust.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Samuel 1815 births 1878 deaths 19th-century Australian journalists 19th-century Australian male writers 19th-century Australian newspaper publishers (people) Australian newspaper editors Burials at Waverley Cemetery Australian people of Cornish descent British emigrants to Australia People from Camborne 19th-century Australian historians Australian male journalists