Ambrose Henry Spencer Kyte (c. 1822 – 16 November 1868) was a merchant and politician in colonial Victoria (Australia).[1]
Ambrose Kyte | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly | |
| In office January 1867 – December 1867 | |
| Preceded by | Archibald Wardrop |
| Succeeded by | James Harcourt |
| Constituency | Richmond |
| In office August 1861 – December 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Graham Berry |
| Succeeded by | Edward Langton |
| Constituency | East Melbourne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1822 Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Died | 16 November 1868 (aged 45–46) Carlton, Victoria, Australia |
| Spouse |
Sarah Ann Finnin (m. 1842) |
Kyte was born in Nenagh, Tipperary, Ireland, the son of Stephen Kyte and his wife Margaret, née Mitchell.[2]
Kyte arrived in Melbourne in January 1840, finding work as a brewer's labourer.[2] Kyte opened a hay and corn store in Bourke Street, Melbourne in 1845, later he expanded into general merchandise and invested in urban properties.[2]
In September 1858 Kyte offered a sum of £1000 towards the expenses of an exploring expedition to cross the Australian continent from south to north. This led to the despatch of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition in August 1860.[3]
In August 1861[1] Kyte stood for East Melbourne as a candidate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly, and defeated Edward Langton,[1] who in February 1866 defeated him in a contest for the same constituency.[3] Kyte represented Richmond from January 1867 to December 1867.[1]
In April 1866, he donated £10 for poor relief in Nenagh, which led the town commissioners to unanimously pass a resolution thanking him.[4]
Kyte died in Carlton, Victoria on 16 November 1868, survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Kyte, Ambrose Henry Spencer". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d Browne, Geoff. "Kyte, Ambrose Henry Spencer (1822–1868)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ^ a b Mennell, Philip (1892). . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
- ^ "The Kyte Charity". Nenagh Guardian. 18 April 1866. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
Dr Calahan said it was a privilege of his to propose a vote of thanks to Mr Kyte for having sent £10 for the relief of the poor of this town. Although, personally, they could not express their thanks to him, he being in a distant clime, still that the vote of thanks would reach him through the medium of the Press.