William Charles Angliss

Who was William Charles Angliss?

Sir William Charles Angliss was a butcher, pastoralist, pioneer meat exporter, businessman, politician and philanthropist in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was knighted in 1939.

He was the eldest son of William Angliss, tailor, and his wife Eliza Fiddian, born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England. He was educated at Hawkhurst, Kent, and learnt the butchers trade as a youth working first with an uncle in London before migrating to New York. After two and a half years in North America he migrated to Rockhampton, Queensland in 1884. After working for a time in Brisbane and Sydney he moved to Melbourne in 1886 where he set up a butchers shop in North Carlton. He opened larger premises in Bourke Street, Melbourne in 1892 and started exporting frozen meat, becoming a pioneer of meat refrigeration. His meat export business was highly successful and he opened his own Freezing works in 1905 in Footscray.

His meat export business expanded into New South Wales and Queensland and his business also diversified into owning or managing pastoral leases and cattle stations, including jointly with Sidney Kidman.

He married Jacobena Grutzner at St. Columb's Church, Hawthorn, Victoria on 31 March 1919; they had one child, a daughter, Eirene Rose. Jacobena Angliss led a distinguished life as an Australian philanthropist, arts supporter and community worker.