Person

Allport, Morton (1830 - 1878)

Born
4 December 1830
West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England
Died
10 September 1878
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Occupation
Naturalist

Summary

Morton Allport arrived at Hobart Town with his family in 1831. He followed his father into the firm of solicitors, Allport & Roberts. Before being admitted to the Bar in 1852 he worked as an article clerk there. He later became a partner of the firm. Allport's interests soon changed to natural history and he became an authority on Tasmanian botany and zoology. He was a leading figure in bringing salmon to Tasmania and was one of the state's first salmon commissioners. He won the Silver medal of the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and is commemorated by the Morton Allport Bequest at the Tasmanian Museum. Allport was involved in many other areas including the distribution of John Gould's works in Tasmania; organisation (and exhibitor) of the Art Treasures Exhibition in Hobart, an organiser of the Tasmanian exhibits for the 1862 Great Exhibition in London, and a commissioner arranging Tasmanian entries for the Intercolonial Exhibition of Australia at Melbourne 1866-1867.

Details

Chronology

1852
Career position - Admitted to the Bar
1858
Career position - Organiser and Exhibitor at the Art Treasures Exhibition, Hobart
1866
Career position - Salmon Commissioner
1872
Award - Silver medal from the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria

Related Corporate Bodies

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • Australian Botanists - Biographies, MS 064; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts

  • Morton Allport - Records, 1850 - 1878; Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts. Details

Private hands (Allport, J.E.)

  • Morton Allport - Records, 1852 - 1854; Private hands (Allport, J.E.). Details

Royal Society of Tasmania

  • Morton Allport - Records, 1870 - 1876, Ms 128; Royal Society of Tasmania. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • Ashby, Jack, 'How collections and reputation were built out of Tasmanian violence: thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and Aboriginal remains from Morton Allport (1830 - 1878)', Archives of natural history, 50 (2) (2023), 244-64. https://doi.org/10.3366/anh.2023.0859. Details
  • Mollison, Ruth, 'Morton Allport and the acclimatisation of fish in Tasmania', Papers and proceedings of the Tasmanian Historical Research Association, 67 (3) (2020), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.587013145144785. Details

Newspaper Articles

Resources

McCarthy, G.J.

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