John Darling Jr.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the eldest son of John Darling Sr., on 24 January 1852, Darling emigrated to South Australia with his parents and brother, arriving in Adelaide early in 1855.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=H. S. K. |last=Kent |title=Darling, John (1831–1905) |id2=darling-john-3368 |access-date=5 December 2013}} He was educated at the Pulteney Street School (later Pulteney Grammar School) and at the age of 14 started work in his father's business.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50751713 |title=Obituary |newspaper=The Examiner |location=Launceston, Tas. |date=30 March 1914 |access-date=28 October 2014 |page=6 Edition: Daily |via=Trove}}

In 1872 he was brought into partnership in his father's business, renamed John Darling & Son. His father retired in October 1897, leaving him in sole control. Under his control, the company purchased the Eclipse flour mills, Port Adelaide, and the goodwill of J. Dunn and Co. in ???. He founded a hay-compressing business in Gawler, near the railway station. He became a director of BHP in 1892 and was chairman of directors from 1907 to 1914. He was on the local directorates of several insurance and mining companies with head offices in London, a director of the National Mutual Assurance Society, Victoria and the Port Adelaide Dock Company. He was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Shipowners' Association, and the South Australian Employers' Union.

Darling was part of the Australasian National League (previously National Defence League) and represented East Torrens in the South Australian House of Assembly the 1896 election to the 1902 election, and after a boundary redistribution, Torrens until the 1905 election. He served as eleventh Leader of the Opposition. He was involved in the reconstruction of the Ministry following the retirement of the Hon. J. G. Jenkins, and when (later Sir) Richard Butler took office in 1905 prior to the election.

He was proud of his Scottish heritage; he was a member of the Caledonian Society of South Australia, and its Chief 1904–1907.

File:John_Darling_Jr_MP.jpg

Darling married Jessie Dowie (1852 – 23 November 1915), cousin of the evangelist John Alexander Dowie and aunt of the sculptor John Dowie (artist) on 14 October 1875 and lived at "Lynton", Kent Terrace, Norwood. Their children included:

• Jessie Isabel Darling (1876–1907)
• Alexander John Darling (1878–1896)
• Elsie Darling (1880–1891)
• Florence Darling (1883– ) married Frederick Young, M.P. for Stanley, later Agent-General for South Australia.
• Harold Gordon Darling (1885 – 26 January 1950) became head of John Darling & Son and chairman of BHP.
• Gertrude "Gertie" Darling (1887–1968)
• Grace Darling (1889–1964)
• Leonard Darling (1891–) lived in UK from 1911{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59242387 |title=Concerning People |newspaper=The Register |location=Adelaide |date=4 November 1912 |access-date=26 November 2011 |page=6 |via=Trove}} and served in World War I. His son Leonard Gordon Darling (1921 - 31 August 2015,{{Cite web |url=http://www.artandaustralia.com/news/headlines/vale-gordon-darling |title=Tribute to Leonard Gordon Darling from Artand, Melbourne |access-date=8 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002010155/http://www.artandaustralia.com/news/headlines/vale-gordon-darling |archive-date=2 October 2015 |url-status=dead }} born in London, England) served in World War II, reaching the rank of captain, became a director of BHP in 1953 and chairman of John Darling & Son in 1963.Barnier, Cheryl Notable Australians Paul Hamlyn Pty, Australia 1978 {{ISBN|0-86832-012-9}} He was a founding patron of the National Portrait Gallery.{{cite web|url=http://www.portrait.gov.au/people/l-gordon-darling-1921|title=L. Gordon Darling AC, CMG 1891–2015 |publisher=National Portrait Gallery|access-date=23 May 2015}}
• Norman Darling (1893–1964) became director of John Darling & Son in 1953.

He died in a Melbourne private hospital on 27 March 1914. He had been in that city a few days to chair a meeting of BHP, when he took ill. His estate was valued at £1,694,500.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=H. S. K. |last=Kent |title=Darling, John (1852–1914) |id2=darling-john-3876 |access-date=5 December 2013}}

A brother, James Darling (2 September 1857 – 19 March 1929) married Jessie's sister Elizabeth "Bessie" Dowie (24 September 1862 – 12 June 1896) on 26 October 1882; had son Arthur Garfield Darling in 1883, daughter Ruth Darling in 1885. He purchased Glenaroua Station in Victoria from Thomas Singleton in 1901, then moved to Carnamah, Western Australia and became the largest landowner in the region, passed to son Arthur.{{cite web|url=http://www.carnamah.com.au/bio/arthur-garfield-darling|title=Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs: Arthur Darling|publisher=Carnamah Historical Society |access-date=23 May 2017}} Later lived at 41 Riversdale Road, Hawthorn, Victoria.{{cite web|url=http://www.carnamah.com.au/bio/james-darling|title=Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs: James Darling|publisher=Carnamah Historical Society |access-date=23 May 2017}}

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{{s-ttl | title=Member for East Torrens | years=1896–1902|alongside=Frederick Coneybeer}}

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{{s-ttl | title=Member for Torrens | years=1902–1905|alongside=Jenkins, Soward, Price, Coneybeer}}

{{s-aft | after =Crawford Vaughan
George Dankel
Thomas Hyland Smeaton
Thomas Ryan}}

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Category:1852 births

Category:1914 deaths

Category:Politicians from Edinburgh

Category:British emigrants to the Colony of South Australia

Category:Australian flour millers and merchants

Category:Leaders of the opposition in South Australia

Category:Members of the South Australian House of Assembly

Category:19th-century Australian businesspeople

Category:BHP people

Category:People educated at Pulteney Grammar School

Category:Colony of South Australia people