John Hill (businessman)

Henry John Hill (6 March 1847 – 18 September 1926), always known as John Hill, was a South Australian businessman. Hill owned a coach-horse business in the early days of South Australia. He was the father of Clem Hill, the noted cricketer.

Hill was born at Walkerville, the eldest son of businessman and parliamentarian Henry Hill, he was educated at the Alberton school of the Presbyterian Rev. Mercer. Around 1858 he started work for his father in the goods department of Henry Hill & Co. which had a contract with the South Australian Railways. In 1866 the South Australian company Cobb & Co., an affiliate of the famous New South Wales stagecoach business, bought the business of William Rounsevell and John was put in charge. In 1873 Cobb & Co. sold this business to a company John Hill & Co., whose owners were Hill, H. R. Fuller and George Mills. Business expanded and in 1882 the firm was restructured as John Hill & Co., Limited. At various times more than 1,000 horses were in work at once across the State, but they were always just a few years ahead of the establishment of railways on the most profitable routes. The Mount Pleasant and Willunga coaches were the last of the familiar horse-drawn vehicles to be seen on the roads.

In April 1888 Hill was appointed a member of the Board of Railways Commissioners, a position which he held for seven years at a salary of £1,009 a year. His colleagues were Messrs. J. H. Smith (a railway expert from England, who was Chairman of the Board) and A. S. Neill. He then returned to manage Hill & Co. In October 1911 Hill and erstwhile competitor Henry Graves founded Hill, Graves & Co., with a massive stone bulk store at Port Adelaide bounded by Timpson, Divett and Mempes Streets (later occupied by R. Mitchell & Co.) extensive stables in Pirie and Grenfell Streets (the largest in Australia) and offices on North Terrace and in Gouger and George Streets, Adelaide. The company ceased trading at the end of 1920, but with business rationalised and transferred to H. Graves & Company.

Hill was a prominent member of the Pirie Street Methodist Church for more than 60 years, and held numerous offices in connection with the church and Sunday school. and served on the General Wesleyan Conference in 1884, 1890 and 1894.

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