Daniel Connor

Who was Daniel Connor?

Daniel Connor was a convict transported to Western Australia, who became one of the wealthiest men in the colony.

Daniel Connor was born in County Kerry, Ireland in 1831. Nothing is known of his early life, but on 20 June 1850 he was sentenced to seven years transportation for sheep stealing. He arrived in Western Australia on the Phoebe Dunbar on 30 August 1853. During his time as a convict he went by the surname Connors; Stephenson states that this was "to confuse researchers of his history in later years". Connor received his ticket of leave on 11 August 1854, and his conditional pardon on 17 November 1855. In 1859 he married Catherine Conway.

Connor worked as a hawker until 1861, then bought land in Newcastle, upon which he built a small store. He later purchased a number of other town lots, building upon a number of them. In 1870 he had a steam mill built, and over the next decade gained control over a number of large rural estates by lending money to the owners. He purchased the Freemason's Hotel in 1873.

Connor became active in public affairs; he was a member of the Toodyay Road Board from 1871 until his death in 1898. He was also a member of the Newcastle Municipal Council and served on the Toodyay Education Board.