Henry Charles Lennox Anderson (1853 - 1924)

Born 10 May 1853 in At Sea

Husband of Harriet Lily (Lloyd) Anderson — married 24 Mar 1880 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Died 17 Mar 1924 at age 70 in Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Henry Anderson is Notable.

Henry Anderson has Scottish Ancestors.

Henry Charles Lennox (H C L) Anderson was instrumental in the establishment of the Mitchell Library (now The State Library of New South Wales) and held the position of Principal Librarian of the New South Wales Free Public Library as it was then known, from 1893 - 1906. He was also appointed New South Wales's first Director of Agriculture and was instrumental in the establishment of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College and the Wagga Wagga Experiment Farm.

The eldest son of Robert Anderson and Margaret Hewson, Henry Charles Lennox Anderson was born on 10th May 1853 at sea aboard the Empire as his parents emigrated from Scotland. The ship made port in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 27th July. Educated at Sydney Grammar School and on a scholarship at the University of Sydney (B.A., 1873; M.A., 1878), he won the University Prize in 1872, the Belmore Medal for agricultural chemistry in 1873, and the Hercules Robinson prize for Shakespearian scholarship and literature in 1877. From 1873 he taught at Sydney Grammar School.

On 24th March 1880 in St Stephen's Presbyterian Church (now Uniting), Macquarie Street, Sydney he married Harriet Lily Lloyd.^[1]

Anderson spent some years in the New South Wales militia; he was commissioned Lieutenant in the 1st Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, in 1885 and promoted Captain in 1888. He resigned his commission 1892. With his younger brother (later Sir) Robert M McC Anderson, he was a founding member of the United Service Institution in 1889.

For twenty years Anderson carried out analysis and other work in agricultural chemistry 'as a hobby and recreation' and invested every shilling he had in a farm and orchard at Penrith, New South Wales. On 10th February 1890 he was appointed New South Wales's first director of agriculture. He contended with catastrophic wheat losses from rust, widespread disease in plants and animals, pests such as rabbits, prickly pear, phylloxera and water hyacinth, and grossly inefficient farming methods. Within four months he established the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales and gathered the nucleus of a departmental scientific staff. He established Hawkesbury Agricultural College on 'a sound, scientific and practical foundation' and the Wagga Wagga Experiment Farm; also acquiring land for other agricultural colleges and farms. He made elaborate plans for free distribution of seeds, plants and cuttings and for a travelling demonstration unit to show farmers efficient dairying methods.

In August 1893 Anderson's department was virtually closed down and on 1st September he was appointed principal librarian of the Free Public Library, at a reduced salary, In 1895 the library's name was changed at his instigation to the Public Library of New South Wales. In October 1898 D S Mitchell told him to notify the trustees of his intended bequest of his unrivalled collection. Anderson voluntarily moved out of his house attached to the library to accommodate the 10,000 volumes that Mitchell transferred.

In 1905 he became director of the State's new Intelligence Department and from January 1907 government statistician as well. Anderson was then appointed acting under-secretary and director of the new, independent and stronger Department of Agriculture in January 1908. He retired in 1914.

A fellow of the Senate of the University of Sydney in 1895-1919, Anderson was a trustee of St Andrew's College in 1896-1924 and helped to establish the faculties of agriculture and veterinary science in 1910. He was also chairman of the local branch of the New Settlers' League of Australia, a life vice-president of the Highland Society of New South Wales, secretary of the original committee which raised funds for the erection of the Robert Burns statue, an active member of the Farrer memorial committee, and a Shakespearian scholar.

Anderson died of heart failure on 17th March 1924 at Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, and was buried in the Presbyterian section of Rookwood cemetery.^[2] He was 70 years of age.^[3] He was survived by Harriet and their two daughters.

The Australian Library and Information Association’s H C L Anderson award, named in Henry's memory, is given for outstanding service to the library profession.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #323/1880; his name is listed as Hume and her's as Stamet
2. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #1227/1924
3. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842-1954) Wed 19 Mar 1924 Page 14 THE LATE MR H C L ANDERSON; accessed 14 Dec 2018

See also

• [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/anderson-henry-charles-5016/text8343 King, C J. Anderson, Henry Charles (1853–1924). Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 14 Dec 2018.
• Wikipedia: Henry Charles Lennox Anderson; accessed 14 Dec 2018.