Biographical entry Allport, Morton (1830 - 1878)

Summary

Morton Allport arrived at Hobart Town with his family in 1831. He followed his father into the firm of solicitors, Allport & Roberts. Before being admitted to the Bar in 1852 he worked as an article clerk there. He later became a partner of the firm. Allport's interests soon changed to natural history and he became an authority on Tasmanian botany and zoology. He was a leading figure in bringing salmon to Tasmania and was one of the state's first salmon commissioners. He won the Silver medal of the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and is commemorated by the Morton Allport Bequest at the Tasmanian Museum. Allport was involved in many other areas including the distribution of John Gould's works in Tasmania; organisation (and exhibitor) of the Art Treasures Exhibition in Hobart, an organiser of the Tasmanian exhibits for the 1862 Great Exhibition in London, and a commissioner arranging Tasmanian entries for the Intercolonial Exhibition of Australia at Melbourne 1866-1967.

Details

Events

1852

Career position - Admitted to the Bar

1858

Career position - Organiser and Exhibitor at the Art Treasures Exhibition, Hobart

1866

Career position - Salmon Commissioner

Archival resources

Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts

• Morton Allport - Records, 1850 - 1878; Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts. Details

Private hands (Allport, J.E.)

• Morton Allport - Records, 1852 - 1854; Private hands (Allport, J.E.). Details

Royal Society of Tasmania

• Morton Allport - Records, 1870 - 1876, Ms 128; Royal Society of Tasmania. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

• Stilwell, G. T., 'Allport, Morton (1830-1878), naturalist and solicitor', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 3, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1969, pp. 28-29. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030029b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Allport, Morton', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-600727. Details