John Colton (politician)

The Honourable
Sir John Colton
KCMG
The Honourable Sir John Colton KCMG
13th Premier of South Australia
	In office; 6 June 1876 – 26 October 1877
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Sir Anthony Musgrave
Preceded by	James Boucaut
Succeeded by	James Boucaut
	In office; 16 June 1884 – 16 June 1885
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Sir William Robinson
Preceded by	John Cox Bray
Succeeded by	John Downer
South Australian House of Assembly
	In office; 1862–1870 Serving with Charles Hewett, John Carr
Preceded by	Alexander Anderson
Succeeded by	James Stewart
Constituency	Noarlunga
	In office; 1875–1878 Serving with John Carr
Preceded by	Charles Myles
Succeeded by	Thomas Atkinson
Constituency	Noarlunga
	In office; 1880–1887 Serving with Thomas Atkinson
Preceded by	John Carr
Succeeded by	Charles Dashwood
Constituency	Noarlunga
Personal details
Born	23 September 1823; Devon, England, United Kingdom
Died	6 February 1902 (aged 78); Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Resting place	West Terrace Cemetery
Spouse	Mary Colton (m. 1844; died in 1898)

Sir John Blackler Colton, KCMG (23 September 1823 – 6 February 1902) was an Australian politician, Premier of South Australia and philanthropist.^[2] His middle name, Blackler, was used only rarely, as on the birth certificate of his first son.

Colton, a son of farmer William Colton (died 10 July 1849) and his wife Elizabeth Colton, née Blackler (died 1888), was born in Devon, England. He arrived in South Australia in December 1839 aboard Duchess of Northumberland with his parents and siblings, who settled at McLaren Vale and started a vineyard.

Colton began to work as a saddler in Adelaide. His business eventually grow into a large ironmongery and saddlery business, John Colton and Company, which became Harrold, Colton & Company in 1889, then in 1911 Colton, Palmer and Preston Ltd,^[3] at the Topham Street corner of Currie Street, which firm survived as hardware merchants well into the latter half of the 20th century.

He gave £100 to start the work on the Pirie Street Wesleyan Church^[4] where he was an active member for over 50 years.^[1]

He was created KCMG on 1 January 1891. He died in Adelaide on 6 February 1902.^[5]

On 4 December 1844, Colton married Mary Cutting (December 1822 – 30 July 1898) who, as "Lady Colton", is remembered as a philanthropist and suffragist. Their family included:

John William Colton (20 January 1848 – 26 December 1906), partner with brother Alfred, later managing director of Harrold, Colton & Co.
Alfred Cutting Colton (27 August 1854 – 29 July 1919) married Eliza Bosisto "Lizzie" Stirling (died 19 March 1947), daughter of George Stirling and niece of Joseph Bosisto CMG (died 8 November 1898),^[6] on 10 February 1887, lived at Lorne, Victoria, then retired to Elsternwick, Victoria, where his brother-in-law, Dr. Robert A. Stirling (1855–1928), had a practice.^[7]

John Stirling Colton (23 May 1888 – 12 April 1951) married Dorothy Isabel Hawkes in 1914

John Blackler Colton (1 August 1918 – 21 December 1996)
Dr. Robert Stirling Colton (13 August 1921 - 21 December 2015)

Elizabeth Mary "Bessie" Colton (24 October 1856 – 9 September 1870)
Edwin Blackler Colton (4 May 1859 – 19 August 1916), solicitor of Adelaide, married Emily Gardner Wallace (died 3 January 1922) in 1884.

Edwin George Colton (1890–1959)
Bessie Blackler Colton married Alfred Stanley Langsford in 1912

Ellen Hannah Colton (18 October 1863 – 12 February 1946) lived with her father in Hackney
Frank Septimus Colton (25 May 1865 – 22 August 1902) was a medical practitioner in England

References

^ ^a ^b "The Late Sir John Colton". The Chronicle. Adelaide. 15 February 1902. p. 33. Retrieved 9 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Parr, S. R. "Colton, Sir John (1823–1902)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
^ "Concerning People". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXVI, no. 20, 246. South Australia. 2 October 1911. p. 6. Retrieved 27 November 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Odd Aspects Of City Church's Centenary". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 8 July 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 9 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Atchley, Chewton (1912). "Colton, John" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
^ "The Late Mr. Bosisto's Will". Weekly Times. No. 1, 532. Victoria, Australia. 17 December 1898. p. 17. Retrieved 22 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Obituary". The Chronicle (Adelaide). Vol. LXII, no. 3, 181. South Australia. 9 August 1919. p. 45. Retrieved 22 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.