Alfred Felton
Alfred Felton (8 November 1831 – 8 January 1904) was an Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist.
Biography
Alfred Felton was born at
In 1857, he was in business in Collins Street, Melbourne, as a commission agent and dealer in merchandise, and in 1859 was an importer and general dealer. In 1861 he was in business in Swanston Street as a wholesale druggist.
In 1867 Felton went into partnership with Frederick Sheppard Grimwade and founded Felton Grimwade and Company, "wholesale druggists and manufacturing chemists". As the business grew over the years, the partners acquired interests in associated industries such as the Melbourne Glass Bottle Works, and fertiliser company Cuming Smith & Company.
Felton also purchased two large estates, Murray Downs and Langi Kal Kal in partnership with merchant and pastoralist Charles Gordon Campbell, a founding partner in Cuming Smith & Company. Upon Felton's death, his share in the Estates were sold to Campbell.
Felton's wants were few and he never married. He gave away considerable amounts to charity, and formed large collections of pictures and books which at times threatened to push him out of his rooms at the Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne. He died there on 8 January 1904, and was buried at St Kilda Cemetery.[2]
In 2005,
Felton Bequest
Alfred Felton had no direct descendants. In his will, he established a philanthropic trust, known as the Felton Bequest.[3] The Bequest has been established to support culture and the community, with half the funding benefiting Victorian charities (particularly those that support women and children) and the other half used to acquire and donate art works to the National Gallery of Victoria.[3] After the payment of legacies and probate duties, the residue of the estate was £378,033, a huge sum, the equivalent of about A$35 million at 2000 values.[1] The Gallery selected a number of works from Felton's personal collection for retention by it, and the remainder was sold at auction, the proceeds being added to the Bequest.[1]
Over its life, the Felton Bequest has contributed funds to many charitable purposes and projects in Victoria and has acquired numerous works of art which it has donated to the National Gallery of Victoria. The acquisition funds available to the Gallery, through the Bequest, exceed those of
Soon after the establishment of the Felton Bequest, the
References
- J. R. Poynter, 'Felton, Alfred (1831 - 1904)', Melbourne University Press, 1972, p. 162. Retrieved on 18 October 2008
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Felton, Alfred". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 18 October 2008.