Charles Coxen (1808 - 1876)

Born 20 Apr 1808 in Ramsgate, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Elizabeth Frances (Isaac) Coxen — married 27 Dec 1851 in Ryde, Colony of New South Wales

Died 17 May 1876 at age 68 in Bulimba, Colony of Queensland

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Introduced the Sugar and Coffee Regulations Act of 1864 into the Q.L.A.

Biography

Charlie Coxen is Notable.

Charlie Coxen was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England.

Charles Coxen was born on the 20th of April 1808 at Ramsgate, Kent, England, and baptised the 29th of May that year, the son of Nicholas Coxen and Elizbeth Tompkins.^[1]

Charlie Coxen migrated from England to New South Wales.

Charles arrived in New South Wales on board the Eleanor on the 1st of February 1834^[2] and joined his elder brother Stephen, who had reached Sydney in 1827 accompanied by his wife Sarah and their three-year-old son, and had become established at Yarrundi, a property on the Dart Brook near Scone. After several months, he moved further north to manage a pastoral property on the Peel River (near Tamworth). Travelling widely and for up to four months at a time, Charles collected specimens of birds and mammals in the sparsely settled country between the Hunter and Namoi Rivers. The Australian Museum's (Sydney) first catalogue of Natural History acknowledges that most of the specimens were donated by Charles Coxen.

After meeting up with his nephew, Henry Coxen, who ventured north to settle Queensland's Darling Downs region, Charles decided to join him at Jondaryan Station. That was a good plan, as he swiftly met and courted Elizabeth Isaac, of Gowrie Station on the Darling Downs, who he married in 1851, at St Anne's Church of England, Ryde, Colony of New South Wales.^[3]

Although becoming involved with a large number of pastoral properties in southern Queensland, Charles Coxen is best known for his work in founding the Queensland Museum in 1855; of that institution he was the first honorary curator and secretary and later served as a trustee.^[4] He was also a founder of the Queensland Philosophical Society (now known as the Royal Society of Queensland) in 1859, becoming vice-president under Sir George Bowen and long continuing as a driving force.^[5] He also wrote numerous papers on anthropology, ornithology and kindred subjects; being the first writer to report on the curious arbour-building habits of bowerbirds. From time to time he made further useful collections on behalf of the museum. In this work, Elizabeth proved to be the greatest help. She established some repute as a meteorologist and conchologist, at one time being in charge of the shells in the museum. She became in 1886 the first woman member of the Royal Society of Queensland, founded in 1883, and in 1893 the first woman to read a paper to that society.

In 1860 Charles became the representative of Northern Downs in the first parliament of Queensland. He remained in parliament for seven years. Afterward, he spent some time on the new goldfields at Gympie, was appointed land commissioner for Moreton Bay, and in 1870 became land agent for Brisbane and inspecting commissioner for the settled districts in 1872, holding these three positions until 1875.

Charles passed away on the 17th of May 1876 at Bulimba, Queensland and was buried in Christ Church Anglican Cemetery, Tingalpa.^[6] He and Elizabeth had no children.

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JW2L-PRF : 20 March 2020), Charles Coxen, 1808.
2. ↑ Voyage notice https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12848628
3. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index: Ref: #278/1851 V1851278 37B; Name: COXEN, CHARLES & ISAAC, ELIZABETH F.; District: MU.
4. ↑ Queensland Museum; accessed 6 Nov 2018
5. ↑ Royal Society of Queensland; accessed 6 Nov 2018
6. ↑ Queensland BMD Death registration: Name: Charles Coxen; Death date:17/05/1876; Mother's name:-(?); Father/parent's name:Nicholas Coxen; Registration details:1876/C/760.

See also:

• Charles Coxen
• Chisholm, A H. Coxen, Charles (1809–1876). Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1969; accessed online 5 Nov 2018.
• Find a Grave, database and images  : accessed 29 December 2021), memorial page for Charles Coxen (20 Apr 1809–17 May 1876), Find A Grave: Memorial #125076044, citing Tingalpa Christ Church Cemetery, Tingalpa, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia ; Maintained by Brett Williams (contributor 47234529) .
• Mackay Sugar Boom