Mountifort Conner facts for kids
Mountifort Longfield Conner (born September 18, 1824 – died around November 12, 1880) was an important person in early South Australia. He worked as an auctioneer, helping people buy and sell things. He was also a politician in the British colony of South Australia. People knew him well as a sportsman and a writer about sports in Australia.
Early Life and Sports
Mountifort Longfield Conner was born in County Cork, Ireland. He was the youngest son of Daniel and Elizabeth Conner.
He loved horse sports, like hunting, steeplechasing (horse racing over obstacles), and flat racing. He helped organize these events and was a judge. He even helped start the oldest club in Australia for "coursing," which is a type of hunting using dogs to chase wallabies. He lived in Naracoorte for a while, where he enjoyed these activities.
Political Career
Mountifort Longfield Conner was interested in politics. He tried to become a member of the South Australian House of Assembly, which is like the local parliament.
- In 1870, he ran for the area called Victoria but did not win.
- From December 1871 to September 1873, he was elected to represent the area of Light. He later left this job to become a "Warden" in the Northern Territory. This meant he helped manage the goldfields there. Miners seemed happy with his work, but he resigned after about a year.
- From February to June 1875, he was elected again, this time for the area of Albert. He had to resign because he became unwell, likely from a sickness he caught in the Northern Territory.
Later Life and Recognition
After his time in politics, Mountifort Longfield Conner moved to Melbourne. There, he became a sports writer for The Leader newspaper. He used the pen name "The Baron." Later, he moved to Sydney and wrote a sports column for the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
He passed away in Sydney around November 12, 1880.
A special place was named after him: Mount Conner. This mountain is in the Northern Territory and was named by explorer William Gosse in 1873.
