W. Herbert Phillipps

William Herbert Phillipps (3 December 1847 – 6 January 1935), generally referred to as W. Herbert Phillipps, later Sir Herbert Phillipps was a prominent South Australian businessman and philanthropist.

Herbert was the son of Susannah (1813 – 26 December 1885) and James Phillips ( –1861), a medical student turned saddler and lay preacher who arrived in Adelaide in 1839. He was born in Rosina Street, in a house which was reputedly the first in the city to be made of brick and having the first board floor.

He had a brother and six sisters, two being:

He was a student at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution, Mr. Webster's private school in Kensington then Fellenberg's Commercial School in Pulteney Street, where he taught for a time.

In 1861 he started work with Crown solicitor William A. Wearing (later a Supreme Court judge) then in 1864 worked as tally clerk in the shipping company of Joseph Stilling. He also worked as Adelaide agent for the Chaffey Brothers. Around this time he adopted the spelling "Phillipps" for his surname.

From 1879 he was Adelaide representative for Australasian Accident Assurance Association, Then from around 1882 to 1889 he was manager of Union Fire and Marine Insurance of New Zealand.

For some years he was co-manager (with W. H. Charnock) of shipping company George Wills & Co., a subsidiary of G. & R. Wills & Co., of which his wife's uncle George Wills was a principal.

Phillipps was appointed to the board of trustees of the Savings Bank of South Australia in 1900 and was its chairman for 32 years. His successor was J. C. Rundle.

Herbert was a director of the South Australian Gas Company for 24 years.

He was a director of The Executor Trustee and Agency Company from 1901 and chairman of directors for the last 12 years of his life.

He was a founder, and president for 13 years, of the South Australian Employers Federation. and on two occasions president of the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce.

He had a close association with Glenelg Grammar School.

For the last thirty years of his life, Sir Herbert devoted much of his time and efforts to a galaxy of worthy charities:

He was president of the Brighton Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution.

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