Stephen Henty

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

Stephen George Henty (3 November 1811 – 18 December 1872){{cite re-member |num2=570 |name=Stephen George Henty |access-date=28 August 2022}} was a farmer and politician in colonial Victoria, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council.

Henty was born in West Tarring, Sussex, England, the son of Thomas Henty (1775–1839) and Frances Elizabeth, née Hopkins.

{{Australian Dictionary of Biography

|first=Marnie |last=Bassett

|title=Henty, Stephen George (1811–1872)

|id2=henty-stephen-george-2257

|access-date=7 August 2014

}}

Henty arrived at the Swan River settlement with brothers James and John in 1829. In 1836 Stephen settled in Portland. In both Western Australia and Portland the brothers engaged in the whaling trade.{{cite book |last1=Bassett |first1=Marnie |title=The Hentys |date=1962 |publisher=Melbourne University Press |location=Melbourne |pages=363-4 |edition=Third}}{{cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Mark |title=Australian Colonial Whaling Voyages |url=https://whalinghistory.org/?s=TA179 |website=whalinghistory.org |publisher=New Bedford Whaling Museum, Mystic Seaport Museum and the Nantucket Historical Association |access-date=14 June 2025}}

In 1839, Henty led an overland expedition to explore the Mount Gambier region. He was the first white man to climb the peak and view the blue crater lake.{{cite book |last1=Henty |first1=Richmond |title=Australiana |date=1886 |publisher=Sampson Low |location=London |url=https://digital.sl.nsw.gov.au/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?embedded=true&toolbar=false&dps_pid=IE4272040}} In 1842, Henty and his brother Edward laid claim to the land around Mount Gambier and established a sheep station there.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84674835 |title=To the editors of the Courier and teetotal advocate |newspaper=Launceston Courier |date=8 November 1842 |access-date=9 July 2021 |page=4 |via=Trove}} Conflict with the local Aboriginal residents quickly ensued that same year with Henty's men shooting a number and burning their corpses.{{cite book |last1=Robinson |first1=George Augustus |last2=Clark |first2=Ian D |title=Travels of George Augustus Robinson, Chief Protector, Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate |date=2014}} In March 1844, a band of Aboriginal people led by Koort Kirrup took a large number of Henty's sheep. Henty's men pursued and engaged them in a prolonged skirmish which resulted in the colonists having to retreat.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71628734 |title=Portland Bay |newspaper=Southern Australian |date=2 April 1844 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=2 |via=Trove}}

{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31742622 |title=Port Phillip Extracts. |newspaper=Morning Chronicle |date=20 April 1844 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=3 |via=Trove}} The Southern Australian reported that other white pastoralists in the region were also having difficulties with Aboriginal attacks on their farmsteads and they resolved to form hunting parties and raid them "indiscriminately" if police protection did not come.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71629841 |title=Local News. |newspaper=Southern Australian |date=20 August 1844 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=3 |via=Trove}} The situation proved too hard for Stephen Henty, and even though Koort Kirrup was captured,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71613379 |title=Portland Bay |newspaper=South Australian |date=19 November 1844 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=3 |via=Trove}} Henty abandoned the Mount Gambier property later in 1844 with significant loss of capital.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27447142 |title=Portland Bay |newspaper=South Australian Register |date=15 May 1844 |access-date=10 July 2021 |page=3 |via=Trove}}

In November 1856, Henty was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for Western Province, a position he held until November 1870. For much of the period of Henty's Council membership, he and his family lived at Findon a mansion he built in Kew

{{cite web

|url=http://member.melbpc.org.au/~pandrews/money_miller.html

|title=Henry "Money" Miller

}} Melbourne.