{{Short description|Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} [[File:Longstaff felton1.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Alfred Felton by John Longstaff at the National Gallery of Victoria]] '''Alfred Felton''' (8 November 1831 – 8 January 1904) was an Australian entrepreneur, art collector and philanthropist.

==Biography== Alfred Felton was born at Maldon, Essex, England, the fifth child of six sons and three daughters of William Felton, a currier, and his wife Hannah.<ref name="Poynter">Poynter, John. 2003. ''Mr Felton's Bequests''. Melbourne: The Miegunyah Press.</ref> Felton travelled to Victoria on the ship ''California'' in 1853 intending to search for gold.

Felton also purchased two large estates, Murray Downs and Langi Kal Kal in partnership with merchant and pastoralist Charles Gordon Campbell, a founding partner in Cuming Smith & Company. Upon Felton's death, his share in the Estates were sold to Campbell.

[[File:Graves of Alfred Felton (1831–1904) and Frederick Sheppard Grimwade (1840–1910) at St Kilda Cemetery.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Graves of Alfred Felton (left) and Frederick Grimwade (right) at St Kilda Cemetery]]

Felton died on 8 January 1904 and was buried at St Kilda Cemetery.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10591944 Death notice] ''The Argus'' 9 January 1904 page 9</ref>

In 2005, Melbourne Grammar Grimwade House opened "The Alfred Felton Hall" in honour of Felton.

==Felton Bequest== Alfred Felton had no direct descendants. In his will, he established a philanthropic trust, known as the Felton Bequest.<ref name=Report>[http://www.anz.com/resources/4/e/4e66db0049aa446d804ca7c3936870f6/Felton2012AnnualReport.pdf? Felton Bequest Committee Report 2012]</ref> A$35 million at 2000 values.<ref name="Poynter"/> The Gallery selected a number of works from Felton's personal collection for retention by it, and the remainder was sold at auction, the proceeds being added to the Bequest.<ref name="Poynter"/>

Over its life, the Felton Bequest has contributed funds to many charitable purposes and projects in Victoria and has acquired numerous works of art which it has donated to the National Gallery of Victoria. The acquisition funds available to the Gallery, through the Bequest, exceed those of London's National and Tate galleries combined.<ref name=Report />

Soon after the establishment of the Felton Bequest, the October Revolution occurred in Russia. The Bolshevik government that came to power there sold a part of the collections of such museums as the Hermitage, Pushkin Museum, part of which was acquired by the Felton Bequest for the National Gallery of Victoria. The Felton Bequest has also been used to buy many masterpieces of Australian art. Since the bequest was created, more than 15,000 art works have been acquired through the Felton Bequest, the current total value of which has been estimated at more than A$2 billion.<ref name=Report /> These works are the core of today's National Gallery of Victoria collection, and have made the Gallery's collections celebrated around the world.

==References== {{reflist}}

*J. R. Poynter, '[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/felton-alfred-3508 Felton, Alfred (1831 - 1904)]', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 4, Melbourne University Press, 1972, p.&nbsp;162. Retrieved on 18 October 2008 *{{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Alfred|Last=Felton|shortlink=0-dict-biogF.html#felton1|accessdate=2008-10-18}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20051024022931/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/feltonsociety/feltonsociety2.html Felton Society] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20051027113343/http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/People/Felton.asp Another Felton's biography] *[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/11/1073769451690.html?from=storyrhs ''The Age'' article ''The bequest of a century'']

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Alfred}} Category:1831 births Category:1904 deaths Category:Australian philanthropists Category:Businesspeople from Melbourne Category:Philanthropists from Melbourne Category:English emigrants to colonial Australia Category:Australian art patrons Category:19th-century Australian businesspeople Category:Burials at St Kilda Cemetery Category:British emigrants to the Colony of Victoria