George Fife Angas

George Fife Angas
George Fife Angas
Born	Template:Birth date; Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died	May 15, 1879 (aged 90)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, financier, politician
Known for	Founder of the Province of South Australia; inaugural chairman of the South Australian Company; member of the first South Australian Legislative Council

George Fife Angas (1 May 1789 – 15 May 1879) was a prominent English entrepreneur and financier instrumental in the foundation of the Province of South Australia. He established the South Australian Company and served as its inaugural chairman. His capital contribution, estimated at around £40,000, was vital to the colony’s establishment.

Subsequently, Angas relocated to South Australia and became a member of its first South Australian Legislative Council.

Early life

Angas was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the fifth son of coachbuilder and ship proprietor Caleb Angas (1743–1831) and Sarah Angas (née Lindsay) (1749–1802). Following his mother’s passing, he attended boarding school and at age 15 began an apprenticeship in coachbuilding under his father’s guidance. In 1807, he initiated the Benevolent Society of Coachbuilders in Newcastle aimed at assisting ill members and fostering prudent financial habits. After gaining further experience in London in 1808, he returned home to oversee his father’s enterprise.

On 8 April 1812, he wed Rosetta French (1793–1867) from Hutton, Essex. They had seven children, among them:

Rosetta French Angas (1813–1898)
Sarah Lindsay Angas (1816–1898), known for her advocacy in the Australian temperance movement
George French Angas (1822–1886), an artist
John Howard Angas (1823–1904), recognized as an Australian pioneer, politician, and philanthropist

Career

Over a span exceeding twenty years, Angas expanded his family’s operations based in Newcastle, establishing branches across British ports, the West Indies, and Spanish America. Concurrently, he developed his own shipping business headquartered in London. By 1831, his assets included a fleet of three vessels, commercial ventures in British Honduras, Buenos Aires, and London, as well as coach manufacturing facilities in both Durham and Newcastle. Additionally, he was involved in trades dealing with mahogany and copperas.

Coming from a non-conformist tradition, Angas served as secretary for the Newcastle Sunday School Union, promoting education among impoverished children. Although invited twice to stand for Parliament following the 1828 repeal of restrictions affecting non-conformists, health concerns led him to decline. Demonstrating expertise in finance, he contributed to founding the National Provincial Bank of England in 1833 (now part of NatWest) where he acted as a founding director. He also took part in establishing the Union Bank of Australia (1836) and the South Australian Banking Company (1840).

In 1835, Angas held shares in the British American Land Company.

South Australia

Having amassed considerable wealth, Angas invested heavily in colonial enterprises. In 1832, he joined the committee of the South Australian Land Company, becoming a director due to substantial share ownership. His approach to colonisation prioritized systematic settlement free from convicts, attracting settlers with capital and good moral character—preferably religious—while advocating for free trade, self-government, and religious liberty. South Australia became notable as the first Australian colony to guarantee religious freedom alongside recognition of indigenous land rights.

Despite early challenges when government endorsement eluded the company, Angas remained engaged with the South Australian Association formed in 1834. He opposed elevated land prices imposed by the South Australian Colonization Commission, supporting lower rates to encourage immigration. To resolve stagnant land sales, Angas organized a joint-stock company that purchased remaining lands transferred in 1836 to the newly created South Australian Company. That year saw the departure of initial emigrant vessels under rigorous company oversight.

Initial friction emerged between the Colonial Office, Colonization Commissioners, and South Australian Company regarding governance structures. Angas played a central role in founding a banking institution; beginning a banking operation in 1837 that evolved into the South Australian Banking Company by 1840. Acting on its behalf from England, he promoted the colony through lectures and publications. He also supported educational initiatives via the South Australian School Society and facilitated both missionary endeavors and German immigration. Moreover, he contributed to founding the Union Bank of Australia and participated in New Zealand's colonisation efforts.

Although offered both knighthood and baronetcy for his involvement securing British sovereignty over New Zealand, Angas declined these honors.

A strong advocate for Aboriginal rights within South Australia, Angas sought just relations inspired by William Penn’s treaties with Native Americans. As Commissioner, he pushed for legislative safeguards and funded missionary activities.

In 1836, Angas connected with Pastor August Kavel and his Lutheran congregation from Prussia who faced religious persecution. After dispatching his clerk Charles Flaxman to evaluate their situation, Angas personally financed their migration by chartering four ships—Prince George, Bengalee, Zebra, and Catharina—in 1838 when company funding was unavailable. This loan placed significant strain on his finances alongside another loan to Flaxman for investment in South Australian land.

Financial pressures intensified when drafts issued by Governor George Gawler were dishonored by the British government, threatening colony viability. Angas successfully lobbied for government loans that ultimately stabilized South Australia.

In 1842, he actively promoted South Australia through public lectures and his pamphlet "Facts Illustrative of South Australia." Although advised to settle earlier, financial constraints delayed his move until January 1851 when he arrived in Adelaide with family after sending his son John Howard Angas ahead in 1843 to manage landholdings and restore financial stability. Partial repayments from German settlers improved his position before selling northern England properties by 1850. The extended stress had adversely impacted his health prior to migration.

Slavery

Historians Humphrey McQueen and Catherine Hall have noted that the Angas family enterprise maintained commercial connections with Caribbean firms involved in slave labor. Some sources have mistakenly asserted that Angas himself was a slaveholder who received compensation from the British government. Nevertheless, records from the Legacies of British Slave-ownership database do not list Angas as a slave owner nor as having profited substantially from slavery. Among his business partners in British Honduras were individuals who owned slaves, which was common during that era. Following abolition, Angas acted on behalf of four former slave owners to claim compensation amounting to £6,942 for a total of 121 enslaved people.

The compensation claims he managed included:

5 October 1835, Honduras 231, 40 enslaved persons, £2,176 17s 3d
26 October 1835, Honduras 51, 12 enslaved persons, £685 15s 1d
26 October 1835, Honduras 199, 35 enslaved persons, £1,642 17s 2d
9 November 1835, Honduras 244, 34 enslaved persons, £2,439 17s 3d

On 12 June 1840, Angas represented Newcastle upon Tyne as delegate number 196 at the World Anti-Slavery Convention.

A report published in The Advertiser in 1909 portrayed Angas as a proponent of protecting disadvantaged groups and aiding those subjected to unlawful servitude; notably, his efforts led to the liberation of over 200 Indians in 1824.

Later life, death and legacy

Approaching the age of 62, Angas was warmly received by his two sons and eldest daughter upon return. His significant contributions to the colony earned him public recognition through a dinner held in his honour. He secured a seat on the Legislative Council representing the Barossa constituency, where he concentrated on advancing education and civic matters. Maintaining an active role contributed to improved health and facilitated rapid repayment of his debts.

Angas devoted resources to breeding Merino sheep and cattle while providing employment for unemployed immigrants on his estate. Between 1857 and 1859, he traveled back to England to manage his father's estate affairs. Throughout this period, he remained engaged in parliamentary activities, notably opposing South Australia's governance over the Northern Territory. Due to declining capacity, he resigned in 1866 but continued supporting educational institutions, churches, and charitable organizations. His wife of fifty-five years died in 1867.

In 1869, he released The History of the Newcastle-on-Tyne Sunday School Union, a work compiled by secretary William Ramage Lawson. Although retired from political office, overseeing his property at Angaston occupied much of his time.

After recovering from a serious illness at age eighty-seven, Angas passed away on 15 May 1879 at ninety years old. He left behind three sons—including prominent individuals John Howard Angas and George French Angas—and three daughters.

His grandson James Angas Johnson (circa 1842 – 1902), known as J. Angas Johnson, was among the founding trustees of the Savings Bank of South Australia. Additionally, his son E. Angas Johnson (1873–1951) served as Adelaide’s City Health Officer and actively defended the family's reputation.

Angas' financial contribution of around £40,000 played a crucial role in the foundation of South Australia.^[1]

References

"The Confessional Lutheran Emigrations From Prussia And Saxony Around 1839", Martin O. Westerhaus
George Fife Angas, Father and Founder of South Australia, Edwin Hodder, Hodder and Stoughton, London MDCCCXCI