WM layman, merchant and philanthropist. Arriving in Sydney, NSW with his family in 1833, by hard work and business acumen he built up a vast empire of trading, mining and pastoral activities. He became a member of the Legislative Council in 1887. A staunch Methodist, he made lavish donations to the Church. In 1901 he spent £10,000 on tent missions in NSW. He purchased the Lyceum Theatre in Sydney, spent £27,000 on it and gave it to the Church to become the Central Methodist Mission. He was also benefactor of a number of public and charitable institutions.