David Jones (merchant)
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The Honourable David Jones |
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| Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales | |
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In office 22 May 1856 – 29 March 1860 |
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| Alderman of the Sydney City Council | |
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In office 1 November 1842 – 31 October 1844 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
8 March 1793 Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales, Great Britain |
| Died | 29 March 1873 (aged 80) Sydney, Colony of New South Wales |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Hughes (m.1813-d.1814) Elizabeth Williams (m.1822-d.1826) Jane Mander (m.1828-d.1873) |
| Religion | Congregationalist |
David Jones (8 March 1793 – 29 March 1873), was a Sydney merchant, Welsh emigrant and the retailer founder of David Jones Limited.
Jones was born in 1793, the son of Thomas Jones, a farmer near Llandeilo, Wales, and his wife Nancy. He became an apprenticed to a grocer in Carmarthen at a young age and his business talent lead to him being offered, at the age of 18, the management of a general store in Eglwyswrw, Pembrokeshire. He later found employment with the firm of R. N. Nicholls, Wood Street, Cheapside in London. On 7 February 1828, he married Jane Mander at St Andrew's Church, Holborn. Jane was the daughter of John Mander of East Smithfield.
He migrated with his family to Hobart in Tasmania in October 1834 on board the Thomas Harrison. He subsequently went into partnership with Charles Appleton 1835 (a merchant who had opened a store in Sydney in 1825) forming the firm 'Appleton & Jones'. The partnership was dissolved in 1838 when he established 'David Jones & Co', at 463 George Street, thereby establishing one of the oldest surviving department stores in the world. In 1849 Jones leased the 'Jerusalem Warehouse' on the corner of Barrack and George streets and converted it into a two-storey shop. This would be the main location of David Jones until the opening of the Elizabeth St store in 1928.
Now a successful citizen of the colony, Jones invested in various other business interests, including as founding Director of Australian Mutual Provident Society in 1848. He was also a founder of Camden College, and was very involved in Pitt St (now Pitt St Uniting), the local Congregational Church. Jones was elected to the first Sydney City Council in 1842, serving only two years, and was later appointed to the New South Wales Legislative Council in May 1856, serving until March 1860.
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