Philip Santo

Santo was born on 7 August 1818, at Saltash, and trained to be a carpenter. At age 22, he left for South Australia on the ship Brightman, arriving in Adelaide in December 1840. He worked as a builder in Adelaide, then Burra. He moved to Melbourne during the rush to the Victorian goldfields but soon returned to set up a shop in Grote Street near Victoria Square in 1857, then Waymouth Street from 1866, then from 1873 as Philip Santo & Co in Waymouth Street and Lipson Street Port Adelaide; initially selling timber. then building materials then general hardware, riverboats and ships. By 1880, they had diversified into such disparate goods as patent medicines, perfumes and flavourings, American waggons, brooms, "kerosine", "gasoline" and cabinet organs.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36325907 |title=General Merchandise |newspaper=South Australian Advertiser |date=5 April 1886 |page=8 |access-date=2022-12-12 |via=Trove}} He was reported as the 1867 purchaser of Levi & Watt's newly-completed warehouse at 96 King William Street (now the site of the Commonwealth Bank) which became a warehouse for drapery wholesaler D. & W. Murray,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39181172 |title=Destruction of Messrs. Murray's Drapery Establishment by Fire |newspaper=South Australian Register |date=10 February 1868 |access-date=20 March 2017 |page=3 |via=Trove}} but it appears he was acting for one T. Martin, an English investor.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58549923 |title=Romantic Adelaide |newspaper=The Mail |date=21 January 1928 |access-date=20 March 2017 |page=1 |via=Trove}}

File:Santo's Buildings, Waymouth Street.jpg

In 1880, his company erected a new building on Waymouth Street, designed by architect D. Garlick. Tenants included Conigrave & Collison, agents and patent attorneys, and the S.A. Chamber of Manufactures. Santo's company ceased advertising around 1890.

Santo was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly in 1860 for the City of Adelaide district, 1862 and 1865 for East Adelaide then in 1868 for Barossa and was appointed Commissioner of Public works on a number of occasions for various periods, first in the Waterhouse cabinet, then with Henry Ayers to 1868. He lost his seat in 1870, during which year he was elected to the Legislative Council and held that seat for 10 years.{{Cite SA-parl |pid=4224 |name=Hon Philip Santo |former=yes |access-date=12 December 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24490149 |title=Death of Mr. Philip Santo |newspaper=The Advertiser |date=18 December 1889 |page=5 |access-date=15 April 2011 |via=Trove}}

He was an active member of the Christian Church, of which Rev. Thomas Playford and Herbert Hussey were contemporary adherents, and as an Elder frequently preached in their chapels in Grote Street and Bentham Street.

He had residences "Clapham Park" in Mitcham{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39207796 |title=The Adelphian Class |newspaper=South Australian Register |date=11 November 1870 |access-date=17 December 2019 |page=6 |via=Trove }} and "Fernleigh House" on West Terrace, Adelaide, where he died on 17 December 1889, aged 71.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47292651 |title=Death of Hon. P. Santo |newspaper=South Australian Register |date=18 December 1889 |page=6 |access-date=16 April 2011 |via=Trove}}

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{{s-bef|before=Boyle Finniss}}

{{s-ttl | title=Member for City of Adelaide | years=1860 – 1862 | alongside=Thomas Reynolds, James Boucaut, Matthew Moorhouse. Samuel Bakewell, William Parkin}}

{{s-non|reason=District abolished}}

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{{s-ttl | title=Member for East Adelaide | years=1862 – 1868 | alongside=Thomas Reynolds, William Bakewell}}

{{s-aft|after=Robert Cottrell}}

{{s-bef|before=James Martin}}

{{s-ttl | title=Member for Barossa | years=1868 – 1870 | alongside=Richard Baker}}

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{{s-bef|before=Alexander Hay}}

{{s-ttl|title=Commissioner of Public Works|years=8 Oct 1861{{spaced ndash}}17 Oct 1861}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Commissioner of Public Works|years=15 Jul 1863{{spaced ndash}}4 Aug 1864}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Commissioner of Public Works|years=20 Sep 1865{{spaced ndash}}23 Oct 1865}}

{{s-aft|after=Thomas English}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Commissioner of Public Works|years=3 May 1867{{spaced ndash}}24 Sep 1868}}

{{s-aft|after=William Everard}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Commissioner of Public Works|years=13 Oct 1868{{spaced ndash}}3 Nov 1868}}

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Category:1818 births

Category:1889 deaths

Category:Members of the South Australian House of Assembly

Category:Members of the South Australian Legislative Council

Category:People from Saltash

Category:Politicians from the Colony of South Australia

Category:British emigrants to the Colony of South Australia