Person
Oddie, James (1824 - 1911)
- Born
- 31 March 1824
Clitheroe, Lancashire, United Kingdom - Died
- 3 March 1911
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Auctioneer and Naturalist
Summary
James Oddie was apprenticed to a foundry and worked in an engineering business in Manchester before migrating to Australia in 1849. He operated a foundry in Geelong before moving to Ballarat. Here he had a varied career as gold miner, store keeper, auctioneer and land agent; in the process he became very wealthy. Oddie was active in municipal affairs, being Chairman of the Municipal Council from 1856 to 1858. He was involved in securing an adequate water supply for Ballarat and helped in the establishment of the Botanic Gardens. Oddie strongly believed in self-improvement and education, and was also interested in science and technological developments. In 1881 he was Vice-President of the Council of the School of Mines. From 1882 to 1886 he was the first President of the Ballarat Field Club and Science Society. He also built an observatory at Mt Pleasant.
Details
Chronology
- 1849
- Life event - Migrated to Australia
- 1849 - 1851
- Career event - Conducted foundry in Geelong, Victoria
- 1856 - 1858
- Career position - Chairman, Ballarat Municipal Council
- 1860 - 1891
- Career position - Member of the Board, Benevolent Asylum
- 1881
- Career position - Vice-President of Council, School of Mines
- 1882 - 1886
- Career position - Inaugural President, Ballarat Field Club and Science Society
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Oddie, G. A., 'Oddie, James (1824 - 1911)' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 5: 1851 - 1890 K-Q, Nairn, Bede, Serle, Geoffrey and Ward, Russell, eds (Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 1974), pp. 354-5. Details
Theses
- Kruss, Susan, 'A voice for nature: a history of the Field Naturalists' Club of Ballarat', PhD thesis, Federation University Australia, 2024, 594 pp. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 19 May 2026