John Henry Challis

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John Henry Challis (6 August 1809 – 28 February 1880) was an English-born Australian university benefactor.

Challis was the son of an officer in the army, was born in England, educated at several schools and trained as a clerk. He then moved to Sydney, New South Wales, arriving on the Pyramis on 9 May 1829, and entered the office of Marsden and Flower, merchants. In 1842 the firm was reorganized under the name of Flower, Salting and Company, when Challis was admitted as a junior partner. The business became very prosperous, and in 1855 Challis retired and went to England. He visited Australia in 1859 and about this time subscribed £700 for the stained glass window in the Great Hall of the University of Sydney, known as the royal window.

Returning to Europe Challis spent much of his time in travelling, and died in France on 28 February 1880 (Aust. Encyc.). He was buried at Folkestone, England. Under his will the whole of his residuary estate was left to the University of Sydney, subject to a tenure until death or re-marriage of his widow Henrietta, and a provision that the estate should accumulate for five years after such death or re-marriage. Henrietta died on 19 September 1884 and because Challis had been residing in England, the English Inland Revenue Commission claimed legacy duties. Fortunately the University of Sydney's chancellor, Sir William Montagu Manning, strenuously argued against the Commission's claims which were subsequently abandoned.

In 1890 a sum of about £200,000 was handed to the university senate, which 50 years later, partly by increases in value of land and the falling off of annuities, had increased to £376,000. The income from the fund has provided for seven professorships (in anatomy, zoology, engineering, history, law, modern literature, and logic and mental philosophy) and several lectureships. The bequest, however, meant more than that. When it was made public it created much interest in the university, the senate adopted an extended scheme of teaching, and the government increased the amount of the annual grant by £5000. A portrait of Challis is in the Great Hall of the university, and there is also a marble statue of him by Achille Simonetti.

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This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from
Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America.
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