Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur

Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur
Portrait of Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur as a young man Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: ML 145.
Born	(1788-01-16)16 January 1788 Plymouth, Devonshire, England
Died	21 October 1861(1861-10-21) (aged 73) Norwood, London, England
Resting place	West Norwood Cemetery, London, England
Spouse(s)	Anna Maria King

Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur (16 January 1788 – 21 October 1861) was an Australian colonist, politician, businessman and wool pioneer. The nephew of John Macarthur and son-in-law of former New South Wales governor, Philip Gidley King, he was well-connected in the early colony of New South Wales.

Hannibal Hawkins Macarthur was born on 16 January 1788 at Plymouth, Devonshire, England. His father, James Macarthur, a draper, was the elder brother of John Macarthur. When his uncle John returned to New South Wales after resigning his commission to avoid being posted to Norfolk Island, he persuaded Hannibal to join him. Hannibal arrived at Sydney on 9 June 1805.

He left New South Wales in 1808 for England by way of China and the Philippines, where he unsuccessfully traded sandalwood for his uncle John, arriving home in 1810.

Hannibal arrived back in Sydney in August 1812 per his uncle's ship, the Isabella with a cargo for sale in the colony and to help his uncle's wife, Elizabeth Macarthur in John's absence.

He gained recognition while caring for his uncle's merino sheep during his absences, and by 1817 was able secure land for his own merino flocks, and run a trading store. He actively participated in the intrigues of the time and through his connections became prominent in the community and local politics. He joined the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1830, representing the conservatives in the nominated, and then part-elected Council for Parramatta until 1848.

He also had a directorship in the newly created Bank of Australia, but at its collapse in 1843 Macarthur became insolvent, lost most of his property, and relocated to Ipswich, in the Moreton Bay District of the Colony of New South Wales (later the Colony of Queensland), where he was given a commission as police magistrate from 1 January 1852.