John Fairfax

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title: "John Fairfax" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1804-births", "1877-deaths", "australian-congregationalists", "fairfax-family-(publishing)", "journalists-from-new-south-wales", "people-from-warwick", "australian-mass-media-company-founders", "19th-century-british-journalists", "english-male-journalists", "british-emigrants-to-the-colony-of-new-south-wales", "members-of-the-new-south-wales-legislative-council", "19th-century-english-male-writers", "colony-of-new-south-wales-politicians", "australian-librarians", "burials-at-rookwood-cemetery", "the-sydney-morning-herald-people", "19th-century-australian-businesspeople", "19th-century-australian-journalists", "19th-century-australian-male-writers", "australian-male-journalists", "19th-century-librarians"] description: "Australian newspaper owner and politician" topic_path: "people/1800s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fairfax" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian newspaper owner and politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	John Fairfax
image	John Fairfax.jpg
caption	John Fairfax
birth_name
birth_date
birth_place	Barford, Warwickshire, England
death_date
death_place	Sydney, Australia
resting_place	Rookwood Cemetery
resting_place_coordinates
residence	Ginahgulla ()
occupation
known_for	Development of John Fairfax & Sons media enterprise
notable_works
blank1	Board member of
data1
spouse
partner
children
website
office	Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales
term_start
term_end
::

| honorific_prefix = | name = John Fairfax | honorific_suffix = | image = John Fairfax.jpg | alt = | caption = John Fairfax | native_name = | native_name_lang = | pronunciation = | birth_name =
| birth_date = | birth_place = Barford, Warwickshire, England | death_date = | death_place = Sydney, Australia | death_cause = | resting_place = Rookwood Cemetery | resting_place_coordinates =
| residence = Ginahgulla () | other_names = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = | party = | organization = | known_for = Development of John Fairfax & Sons media enterprise | notable_works =
| style = | blank1 = Board member of | data1 = | spouse = | partner =
| children = | mother = | father = | relatives = | awards = | website =
| office = Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales | term_start = | term_end = | footnotes = John Fairfax (24 October 1804 – 16 June 1877) was an English-born journalist, company director, politician, librarian and newspaper owner, known for the incorporation of the major newspapers of modern-day Australia.

Early life

Fairfax was born in Barford, Warwickshire, the second son of William Fairfax and his wife, Elizabeth née Jesson. William Fairfax at the time of John's birth was in the building and furnishing trade. In 1817, John Fairfax was apprenticed to William Perry, a bookseller and printer in Warwick; he moved to London in 1825 and began working in a compositor in a printing office. Fairfax married Sarah Reading on 31 July 1827. He purchased an interest in The Leamington Chronicle and Warwickshire Reporter, was printer of the Leamington Spa Courier, and had a book binding business in Leamington. At this time Leamington was one of the leading spa towns in the UK.

Fairfax and his family reached Sydney on 26 September 1838; Fairfax had just £5 in his pocket.

Business activities in Australia

In 1851, John Fairfax was a foundation director of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, and in the 1860s a director of the Sydney Insurance Co., the New South Wales Marine Insurance Co., the Australian Joint Stock Bank and The Australian Gaslight Co. and a trustee of the Savings Bank of New South Wales.

Final years

Fairfax died at his home, Ginahgulla, Bellevue Hill, on 16 June 1877. He was buried at the Rookwood Cemetery, Independent Section, on 19 June 1877.

Legacy

John Fairfax's name lives on in the form of Fairfax Media, formerly John Fairfax Holdings and before that, John Fairfax and Sons; although the Fairfax family no longer control the eponymous company.

References

References

1. Fairfax, James. (1972). "John Fairfax (1804–1877)".
2. {{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=John|Last=Fairfax|shortlink=0-dict-biogF.html#fairfax1|access-date=25 March 2016}}
3. Bartholomeusz, Stephen. (10 November 2011). "Fairfax ends the romance". Business Spectator.
4. Dick, Tim. (11 November 2011). "End of an era as Fairfax family calls it quits". The Sydney Morning Herald.
5. (10 November 2011). "Marinya Media divests ownership of Fairfax Media". The Australian Financial Review.
6. (12 November 2011). "Questions over timing of Fairfax's volatile farewell". The Australian.

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