Henry Gullett

Biography

Henry Gullett (20 January 1837 – 4 August 1914) was an English-born Australian journalist and politician. His career took him from the goldfields of Victoria to newsrooms in Melbourne and Sydney, and the New South Wales Legislative Council. Born in Teignmouth, South Devon, he was the son of a stonemason, also named Henry Gullett. He grew up in modest circumstances and moved to Australia in 1853, drawn by the gold rush in Victoria. In Australia, he not only joined the goldfields but also worked on his father's farm at Lancefield in Victoria, gaining practical knowledge of colonial life that he later used in his journalism.

Gullett returned to England in 1861, but after two years, he went back to Australia in 1863 to start a career in journalism with the Argus, a major newspaper in Melbourne. His skills helped him advance quickly in the field. In 1872, he married Lucy Willie, who was also a journalist, and became editor of the Australasian, an important weekly connected to the Argus. He held this role for thirteen years until 1885. They had four daughters, including Lucy Gullett, who later had a notable medical career. Gullett influenced the Australasian's coverage of colonial affairs and became a prominent figure in Australian journalism.

After his time in Melbourne, Gullett worked as an editor in Ceylon before moving to Sydney in 1885 as the assistant editor of the Daily Telegraph. He soon played a key role at the paper but resigned along with the editorial staff in 1890 over a policy issue. He stayed involved with the paper as a director. He was committed to Australian Federation during the 1890s debates and served as acting editor of the Sydney Morning Herald during the 1898 Federation referendum, supporting the federalist cause. He returned to an editorial position at the Daily Telegraph from 1901 to 1903.

In 1908, Gullett began his political career by joining the New South Wales Legislative Council as a member connected with the Liberal party. He held this position until he died, bringing with him decades of experience in observing and commenting on Australian public affairs. Henry Gullett died on 4 August 1914 at Wahroonga, New South Wales, at the age of seventy-seven, just after the start of the First World War — a conflict where his grandson, Henry Somer Gullett, would later serve as a war correspondent and official historian.