{{Short description|Australian philanthropist}} {{About||the Australian cricketer|Walter Hughes (cricketer)|the football player|Wally Hughes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
thumb|Walter Hughes, 1875 engraving
thumb|Plaque on former residence of Sir Walter Watson Hughes on Mid Shore at Calman’s Wynd, Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland.
'''Sir Walter Watson Hughes''' (22 August 1803 – 1 January 1887),<ref name=ADB>Dirk Van Dissel, '[https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hughes-sir-walter-watson-3813 Hughes, Sir Walter Watson (1803 - 1887)]', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 440-441. Retrieved 11 August 2009</ref> who before his knighthood was frequently referred to as "Captain Hughes", was a pastoralist, public benefactor and founder of the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
==Early life== Hughes was born in Pittenweem, Fife, Scotland, the third son<ref>{{Dictionary of Australian Biography|First=Walter Watson|Last=Hughes|shortlink=0-dict-biogHi-Hu.html|accessdate=17 February 2016}}</ref> of Thomas Hughes and his wife Eliza, ''née'' Anderson.<ref name=ADB/> Hughes attended school in Crail and was apprenticed to a cooper for a short time - he then entered the merchant service and became a master, including whaling in the Arctic for several years. After hearing of opportunities for trade in Asia, Hughes purchased a brig, ''Hero'', in Calcutta and traded opium in the Indian Ocean and seas of China, having to contend with pirates.<ref name=ADB/>
==Australia== Hughes emigrated to South Australia in 1840, started business with Bunce & Thomson and took up land. One property, Spring Vale estate near Watervale, he planted with grape vines — Rhine riesling, Pedro Ximénez, temprano, shiraz and grenache.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110900758 |title=Wine |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=52 |issue=15,656 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=3 August 1978 |access-date=16 February 2024 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Hughes passed Spring Vale to his nephew James McKinnon Richman, and there C. A. Sobels began making wine, which was marketed in Adelaide by Hermann Büring. Sobels and Büring subsequently purchased the estate.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87466181 |title=Mrs Sobels |newspaper=The Chronicle (Adelaide) |volume=LXXII |issue=3,821 |location=South Australia |date=12 December 1929 |access-date=15 February 2024 |page=70 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
Hughes suspected land on which he kept sheep contained mineral deposits and informed his shepherds to look for minerals.<ref name=ADB/>. Hughes secured the largest interest in two mines.<ref name=ADB/>
== Late life == thumb|Statue of Sir Walter Watson Hughes at the University of Adelaide Hughes and his wife subsequently returned to England, and bought the Fancourt estate in Chertsey, Surrey.
Hughes was knighted in 1880. Around this time he formed a partnership with P. B. Burgoyne, who was building up a market for fine Australian wines (notably Tintara) in London, and was in dire need of capital.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article53448487 |title=Out among the People |newspaper=The Register News-pictorial |volume=XCIV |issue=27,479 |location=South Australia |date=10 September 1929 |accessdate=15 December 2018 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
He died at his home on 1 January 1887<ref name=ADB/> after a long illness.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199132705 |title=Sir W. W. Hughes |newspaper=Evening Journal (Adelaide) |volume=XVII |issue=5039 |location=South Australia |date=25 July 1885 |accessdate=18 December 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
== Legacy == The coastal town of Port Hughes was named in his honour.
==Family== On 22 September 1841 Hughes married Sophia Richman, eldest daughter of John Henry Richman, who arrived in South Australia with his family aboard ''Thomas Harrison'' in February 1839. They had no children together. He began a relationship with an Aboriginal woman (Mary Jane Narungga/Moor/Wanganeen) who gave birth to Walter Hughes's son John Sansbury in 1854.
Hughes was an uncle of Sir John James Duncan, and an ancestor of Adam Goodes.<ref>[https://www.sbs.com.au/shows/whodoyouthinkyouare/episodes/detail/episode/4846/season/6 Who Do You Think You Are] Series 6, Episode 6 — Adam Goodes. Aired 12 August 2014</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.travel-australia.org/adelaide/sir_walter_watson_hugues.html Picture of Sir Walter Watson Hughes statue at University of Adelaide] {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Walter Watson}} Category:1803 births Category:1887 deaths Category:Settlers of South Australia Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia Category:Adelaide Club Category:19th-century Australian philanthropists Category:People from Pittenweem Category:Founders of Australian schools and colleges Category:University and college founders Category:British people in whaling Category:Coopers Category:British emigrants to the Colony of South Australia