Bendix Hallenstein

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Bendix Hallenstein

Bendix Hallenstein (born January 24, 1835 in Bisperode in the Duchy of Braunschweig ; † January 6, 1905 in Dunedin , New Zealand ) was a New Zealand merchant, manufacturer and politician of German descent.

Live and act

Bendix Hallenstein was born on January 24, 1835 as the youngest son of a Jewish family in Bisperode in the Duchy of Braunschweig. His father was Reuben Hallenstein , a merchant who ran a simple textile factory in Lügde , east of Detmold , for the manufacture of woolen clothing from rags . His mother was Helene Michaelis . Nothing is known about Hallenstein's childhood and schooling.

United Kingdom

At the age of 17 Hallenstein was sent to his uncle Michael Michaelis in Manchester . He worked there for five years in a transport company, consolidating his English language skills and getting to know the tools of a businessman during his training.

Australia

In 1857 he made the decision to go to Australia with his two older brothers and try his luck there in the gold fields of Daylesford , Victoria . In 1861 he went back to England for a short time . There he married on February 14, 1861 in Alford, Lincolnshire Mary Mountain (1826-1907). She was the domestic servant of the three brothers in Australia. The marriage resulted in four daughters. After returning from England, he stayed in Victoria until 1863 when he and his brothers were drawn to New Zealand to find gold in Otago and the West Coast .

New Zealand

When he arrived in New Zealand, he lived in Invercargill for about a year and opened his first shop before moving to Queenstown in 1864 , a very busy town at the time due to the 1861 gold rush in Otago . Hallenstein also opened a shop there, selling groceries, wine, spirits and household items. His business was popular and successful. This was followed by further store openings in Arrowtown , Cromwell and Lawrence . He also worked as a wool merchant with sales contacts in Dunedin , Melbourne and London . In 1867 he and a business partner opened a flour mill in Kawarau Falls , a few kilometers east of Queenstown .

After he had meanwhile also devoted himself to politics, Hallenstein replaced his business partner as Mayor of Queenstown in 1869 . He held the office until 1872, when he was nominated for the Otago Provincial Council . He was a member of the council until 1875. At the same time he was elected to the House of Representatives for the region , of which he was a member from 1872 to 1873.

In 1873 Hallenstein opened a textile factory for the production of suits. After initial difficulties, due to which he sold his factory in order to lease it from the buyer , he opened a department store for clothing at the central point in Dunedin , the Octagon , which was later to be followed by 34 other stores across New Zealand. In the building now used by the Dunedin Public Art Gallery was his company headquarters. In April 1884, Hallenstein founded The Drapery and General Importing Company of New Zealand (DIC) with starting capital of £ 125,000. He founded the first cooperative where goods from overseas could be purchased directly from consumers without intermediaries, with the promise of saving 25 to 30% of the price of the goods. Hallenstein was a prominent member of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce , became a director of Kempthorne, Prosser & Co New Zealand Drug Company Ltd , the National Insurance Company and the Westport Coal Company .

During the strikes of the textile workers in the so-called " Sweating Agitation " (1888–1890), Hallenstein supported the demands for improved working conditions for workers, as well as the formation of trade unions across the country. He saw advantages in it that he believed both sides would derive from it.

In August 1903, Hallenstein suffered a stroke from which he did not recover. He died on January 6, 1905, presumably of the sequelae of the attack. Hallenstein was buried in the Jewish section of the Southern Cemetery in Dunedin .

literature

  • Roger Paulin : Bendix Hallenstein . In: James N. Bade (Ed.): The German Connection - New Zealand and the German-speaking Europe in the Nineteenth Century . Chapter 20 . Oxford University Press , Auckland 1993, ISBN 0-19-558283-7 , pp. 184-188 (English).
  • Bendix Hallenstein . In: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand . Otago and Southland Provincial District, Volume IV . Cyclopedia Company Ltd , Christchurch 1905 (English).

Web links

Commons : Bendix Hallenstein  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Prospectus - Advertisements . In: Julius Vogel (Ed.): Otago Daily Times . Issue 6912 . Dunedin April 11, 1884, p.  3 (English, online [accessed July 15, 2011]).
  2. ^ Death of Mr Bendix Hallenstein . In: William Cutten (Ed.): Otago Witness . Issue 2652 . Dunedin January 11, 1905, p.  26 (English, online [accessed July 15, 2011]).
  3. ^ New Zealand Manufacturers' Association . In: Julius Vogel (Ed.): Otago Daily Times . Issue 8869 . Dunedin July 29, 1890, p.  3 (English, online [accessed July 15, 2011]).
personal data
SURNAME Hallenstein, Bendix
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand merchant, manufacturer and politician, of German descent
DATE OF BIRTH January 24, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH Bisperode , Duchy of Braunschweig
DATE OF DEATH January 6, 1905
Place of death Dunedin , New Zealand