Macleay, William John, (Sir) (1820-1891)

Also known as
Macleay, William John (1820-1891)
Field of activity
benefactor; colonial militia (Australia); entomologist; grape grower; grazier (unspecified); magistrate; Member of Lower House; Member of Upper House; patron of science; protectionist politician; zoologist; Naturalist and Entomologist
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1462037

Biographies

MACLEAY, Sir WILLIAM JOHN (1820-1891), pastoralist, politician and patron of science, was born on 13 June 1820 at Wick, Caithness, Scotland, second son of Kenneth Macleay of Keiss and his wife Barbara, née Horne. Educated at the Edinburgh Academy in 1834-36 he entered the medical school of the University of Edinburgh. Orphaned in 1837 he was left with little money and two younger brothers to educate. Though fascinated by medical and scientific studies, he accepted the advice of his uncle Alexander McLeay to migrate and arrived in Sydney in March 1839 in the Royal George with his brother Walter. He found the company of his uncle and cousins William Sharp Macleay and (Sir) George Macleay congenial and under their influence acquired an increasing interest in natural history. In 1840 Macleay joined George on the family's runs first at Goulburn, then on the Murrumbidgee. A magistrate from 1841, he sat on the Wagga Wagga bench from 1847. He served on the local National school board and in 1852 was a founder of the Murrumbidgee Turf Club. By 1848 he had taken over Mulberrygong, 90,000 acres (36,422 ha) on the Murrumbidgee, and soon acquired Kerarbury in which he held a share until the 1870s. A Freemason he had become grand warden of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1855 and in 1861-66 he was a captain in the Sydney Volunteer Artillery. At St James's Church in 1857 he had married Susan Emmeline, 18-year-old daughter of E. D. Thomson. They lived in Macquarie Street until he leased Elizabeth Bay House from George in 1865.

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography

(Sir) William John Macleay, a New South Wales pastoralist, politician and scientist, was the founder of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney and helped to found the Entomological Society of New South Wales. He wrote widely on entomology, icthyology and zoology.

View the full record at Encyclopedia of Australian Science

Related people and organisations

Australian Dictionary of Biography

Resources for William John Macleay

Selected resources (14)

Australian Dictionary of Biography

  1. 'Macleay, Sir William John (1820 - 1891)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, pp 185-187.
    Michael Hoare, Martha Rutledge
    [1974]
    Published: Melbourne University Press

Encyclopedia of Australian Science

  1. Sir William John Macleay, 1820-1891Oxford Dictionary of National Biography : Sir William John Macleay, 1820-1891
    Brodie, Marc
    [2004]
    Published: Oxford University Press
  2. Bibliography of Australian Entomology, 1775-1930
    Musgrave, A.
    [1932]
    Published: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales.
  3. The Macleay Collectors: a Working Notebook
    Tilbrook, Louis
    [1992]
    Published: The Macleay Museum
  4. William John Macleay - Entomological Lion?Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 113 3-14 : William John Macleay - Entomological Lion?
    Horning, D. S.
    [1992]
  5. A Squatter Went to Sea. The story of Sir William Macleay's New Guinea Expedition and his life in Sydney
    MacMillan, David S.
    [1957]
    Published: Currawong Publishing Co.
  6. The Macleay Memorial Volume
    Fletcher, J.J.
    [1893]
  7. Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales: William John Macleay - Records (1805 - 1859)
    Various records 1856-94 including correspondence with R. Bourke [ML MSS 565].
    ML MSS 565
  8. The Linnean Society of New South Wales: William John Macleay - Records (1860 - 1881)
    Journal of the "Chevert" expedition to New Guinea 1875 (incomplete account); diaries 1874-77, 1879-81; letters, medals, relics, manuscripts of published papers, accounts and receipts c1860-75.
  9. Macleay Museum, University of Sydney: William John Macleay - Records (1870 - 1890)
    Logbook of proceedings on board the "Chevert" from Sydney to New Guinea 1875; miscellaneous papers and correspondence with the University of Sydney c1870-90; microfilm copies of diaries held by the Linnean Society of New South Wales.
  10. Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science: Australian Botanists - Biographies
    Hunt Institute Biographies. Short biographies, averaging 2 pages, of Australian botanists, botanical collectors or artists.
    MS 064
  11. Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales: Linnean Society of New South Wales - Records (1826 - 1970)
    Includes: Minute books, 1862-1952; correspondence, 1882-1965 including letter books, 1882-1927; Chronological file, 1882-1967; Numbered files and unnumbered files; miscellanea, 1884-1964; financial papers, 1883-1970; library material, 1882-1959; newspaper cuttings, 1867-1970; various individual collections donated to the Society include papers of G. Bennett, 1866; H. H. B. Bradley, 1865-1877; J. W. Brazier, 1860-1867, 1922; S. Covington, 1831-1836, 1839; R. D. Fitzgerald, 1878-1883; J. J. Fletcher, 1887-1891, 1929; Sir William Flower, 1866; A. G. Hamilton, 1878-1941; A. Macleay, 1835+; Sir William Macleay, 1874-1888; W. S. Macleay, 1826-1862; T. G. Sloane, 1920-1932; Baron Von Mueller, 1884-1894, and W. Wools, 1880-1881.
    ML MSS 2009
  12. Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales: Linnean Society of London - Records (1792 - 1870)
    Correspondence, 1805-1870, and manuscripts, 1792-1861.
    FM 4/2699
  13. Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science: Adolph Basser Library Pictorial Collection
    Collection of portrait photographs. Subjects include Frederick McCoy, William Macleay, Joseph Fletcher, Charles Darwin and William Harvey.
    MS 056

Resources by William John Macleay (2)

  1. Descriptive catalogue of Australian fishes / by William Macleay
    Macleay, William John Sir, 1820-1891
    [ Book : 1881 ]
    At 2 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.137)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.137)

  2. An account of the proceedings connected with the dedication by the Hon. W. Macleay, M.L.C., F.L.S. of a new hall, laboratory and chambers, for the use of the Linnean Society of New South Wales ..
    Macleay, William John Sir, 1820-1891
    [ Book : 1885 ]
    At 4 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 5.937)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 5.937)

Resources about William John Macleay (7)

  1. A squatter went to sea : the story of Sir William Macleay's New Guinea expedition (1875) and his life in Sydney
    Macmillan, David S. (David Stirling)
    [ Book : 1957 ]
    At 10 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.799)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 18.799)

  2. Sir William John Macleay / photograph by J. Hubert Newman
    Newman, Hubert, 1830-1916
    [ Photograph : 2012 ]
    View online
    At State Library of NSW
    Sir William John Macleay / photograph by J. Hubert Newman
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 12.398)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 12.398)

  3. William Macleay
    [ Photograph : 2010 ]
    View online
    At State Library of NSW
    William Macleay
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 10.839)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 10.839)

  4. A squatter went to sea / by David S. Macmillan
    Macmillan, David S. (David Stirling)
    [ Book : 1957 ]
    At 3 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 9.692)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 9.692)

  5. Macleay family - papers, 1824-1920
    Macleay family
    [ Photograph : 2010 ]
    View online
    At State Library of NSW
    Macleay family - papers, 1824-1920
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.782)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.782)

  6. The Macleay memorial volume / edited by J. J. Fletcher
    Etheridge, R. (Robert), 1846-1920
    [ Book : 1893 ]
    At State Library of QLD
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.174)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 6.174)

  7. [Linnean Society of New South Wales : realia, ca 1797-1843; 1878-1925]
    [ Object, Photograph : 2011 ]
    View online
    At State Library of NSW
    [Linnean Society of New South Wales : realia, ca 1797-1843; 1878-1925]
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.366)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 4.366)

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  1. National education / [John H. Plunkett, Charles Nicholson and W. S. Macleay]
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