James Cowan (South Australian politician)
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James Cowan MP |
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| Born |
21 April 1848 County Tyrone, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) |
| Died | 21 July 1890 (aged 42) Dry Creek, South Australia |
| Residence | North Adelaide, Two Wells, Norwood, Burnside |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | North Adelaide Grammar School |
| Occupation | Farmer, flour miller, investor |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Ann Warren |
| Children | Henry Albert Cowan (1875–1964), William James Trafford Cowan (1877–1956), Horace Stanhope Cowan (1879–1945), Frank Gladstone Cowan (1881–1966), Leslie Thompson Cowan (1883–1968), Darcy Rivers Warren Cowan (1885–1958), George Dalrymple Cowan (1887–1963), Gladys Rosalind Lewis O.B.E. (1890–1954) |
| Relatives |
Thomas Cowan (brother) John Cowan (nephew) John Lancelot Cowan (great nephew) James Cowan (great grandson) Essington Lewis (son-in-law) |
| Member for Yatala | |
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In office 23 Apr 1890 – 21 Jul 1890 Serving with William Gilbert |
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| Preceded by | Josiah Bagster |
| Succeeded by | Richard Butler |
| Constituency | Yatala |
| Member of the South Australian House of Assembly | |
James Cowan (21 April 1848 – 21 July 1890), flour miller and investor, had been a member of the South Australian House of Assembly for the Yatala for only 2 months when he was killed in an accident at a railway crossing. Cowan was an early investor in Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd. The property associated with Erindale, Cowan's residence at Burnside, was sub-divided after his death into a new suburb which was also named Erindale.
Cowan who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland (now Northern Ireland), was the third son of John Cowan, a ploughman and shepherd, and his wife Margaret, née Lammey. Cowan, his parents and four other siblings immigrated to South Australia (SA), arriving in Adelaide on 3 August 1852. The family initially settled in North Adelaide where Cowan attended the North Adelaide Grammar School. When he reached the age of 14, he left to assist with his father’s businesses in Two Wells (39 km north of Adelaide).
After starting his working life as a farmer, grazier and machinist in the mid-1860s, Cowan began a career as a flour miller. He later purchased the Two Wells mill and later expanded his operations to include mills at Gladstone, Quorn, Mallala and Allendale and wharfs at Port Pirie and Port Augusta. He later merged all of these assets with those of others to form the South Australian Milling Company in which he was a major shareholder. The economic depression that affected South Australia in the early 1880s forced Cowan to assign his estate. About 1885, his fortunes improved when he became one of the early investors in the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd via the agency of his wife’s brothers-in-law, W.R. Wilson and S. Wilson. He was able to resume investing with a focus on agriculture and mining. At the time of his death, his portfolio included J. Hill & Company (coaching), the Australian Refining and Smelting Company, the Hamley Copper Mining Company, the Moonta and Wallaroo Copper Mining Company, the Bridgeport Coal Company, the General Electric Supply Company of Australia, Ballarat Tramway Company as well as a number of farms and other property holdings.
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