Albert Fuller Ellis
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Sir Albert Fuller Ellis (August 28, 1869 - July 11, 1951) was a prospector in the Pacific, he discovered phosphate deposits on the Pacific islands Nauru and Banaba Island (Ocean Island) in 1900. He was the British Phosphate Commissioner for New Zealand from 1921 to 1951.
Ellis was born in Roma, Queensland, his family moved to Auckland were he attended the Cambridge District High School. After high school Ellis was employed by the firm of John T. Arundell and Co. as an analyst and prospector. The company, based in London, was engaged in Pacific trading of phosphates, copra, and pearl shell. While working in the company's Sydney office in 1899 Ellis determined that a large rock from Nauru being used as a doorstop was rich in phosphate. Following the discovery Ellis traveled to Ocean Island and Nauru and confirmed the discovery.
Operations on Ocean Island commenced three months after the discovery. Ellis managed the development of the phospahte resources on Nauru, and mining began in 1906 under an arrangement with the German administrators of the island. Following World War I Nauru became and mandate of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the countries appointed the British Phosphate Commission to manage the extraction and export of phospahte from Nauru. Ellis was appointed the BPC for New Zealand.
In 1928 Ellis was awarded the C.M.G., and in 1938 was created a Knight Bachelor. Ellis wrote a book about the history of the Pacific phospahte island, his discovery and subsequent development of the phosphate industry on the islands, Ocean Island and Nauru — their Story was published in Australia in 1935.
