Adam Lindsay Gordon monument. Photo by Paul Raphael. .

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Adam Lindsay Gordon


 

Adam Lindsay Gordon was a popular poet, horseman police, and politician who was born on 19th October 1833 in Charlton Kings, England. He was the son of the prominent Captain Adam Durnford Gordon and Harriet Gordon.

His father later retired from Bengal cavalry and went on to teach Hindustani. His mother’s family on the other side owned several slaves in the British West Indies until the 1830s when the slave trade was completely abolished. The family however received huge compensation for the loss of their property.

He attended Cheltenham College while he was only seven years and after being there for one year, he was taken to a school that was kept by Rev. Samuel Ollis Garrard. While in school, Adam Lindsay Gordon was very good at sports but certainly undisciplined and had to leave the school.

Gordon fell in love with a lady named Jane Bridges who was age 17 but he never mentioned it to her until when he was leaving Australia.

For his spectacular work in poetry, he was the first poet in Australia to ever receive significant recognition overseas.

Adam Lindsay Gordon however shot himself as he walked along tea-tree scrub by the beach.

Below are the top ten outstanding facts about Adam Lindsay Gordon

1. Adam Lindsay Gordon was Undisciplined as a Student

Photo by Redd on

Adam Lindsay Gordon was very talented, particularly at sports but very undisciplined. After attending the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich he was asked to leave the school for indiscipline.

Later on, he was admitted to Cheltenham College but it appears that he left in the middle. This was after the claims that he was expelled from the school without any foundations.

He still went on to live an aimless life even after being sent to Royal Grammar School Worcester as he contracted debts. He was finally sent to Australia by his father where he began afresh.

2. He Inherited Wealth from His Mother鈥檚 Estate

Adam Lindsay Gordon inherited a lot of wealth from his mother’s estate in 1859 a total of 7,000 Euros. His mother’s family was well-known to own several slaves in the British West Indies.

Not until the 1830s that the slave trade was completely abolished and causing a great loss to the families.  They however managed to receive a lot of financial compensation that would cover their property loss.

3. Adam Lindsay Gordon Lived a Hedonistic Lifestyle

Throughout his entire academic journey, Adam Lindsay Gordon lived a hedonistic lifestyle which saw him engage in debts and living a life of a wastrel. His life did not prove to have any direction as he was always sent away from school for indiscipline.

After his father saw the lifestyle he lived, he sent him back to Australia to join the mounted police. During the entire period, Adam Lindsay Gordon knew deep down that he needed to change his character and rectify his life. His desire for change is portrayed in some of his poetry such as To My Sister.

4. He Served in the South Australian Mounted Police

Adam Lindsay Gordon riding in a steeplechase. Photo by Eugene Montagu Scott.

Adam Lindsay Gordon served in the South Australian mounted police when he was over 20 immediately after arriving in Adelaide. During his service, he was positioned at Mount Gambier and Penola.

During his service, he also acted as the groom to Alexander Tolmer who was then the senior South Australian Police Officer. After working for two years, he resigned from his job in 1855 and began to pursue horse-breaking in the southeastern part of South Australia.

5. Adam Lindsay Gordon had an Interest in Horse-Racing

Adam Lindsay Gordon showed a lot of interest in horse racing from his youth while he was in England and still went on in Australia. It was his passion for horse racing that lead him to resign from the South Australian mounted police.

He also mentioned in his writing to have had a horse for the steeplechase in the following meeting.

He met Rev. Julian Tension Woods who helped him with books and talked to him about poetry. He was also considered a very skillful horseman.

6. He Wrote the Poem 鈥淔rom the Wreck鈥

Photo by Hannah Olinger on

Adam Lindsay Gordon wrote the poem 鈥淔rom the Wreck鈥 after a ship tragedy that occurred on Cape Northumberland shoals.

The ship broke up and died which is not a far place from where Adam Lindsay Gordon is known to have stayed. After he was deeply inspired by the story, he wrote the poem some ten years later.

7. He was elected by Three Votes to the South Australian House of Assembly

Adam Lindsay Gordon was requested by a group of people to stand for the parliament. He was eventually elected to the South Australian House of Assembly by three votes in 1865 for the district of Victoria. 

His speeches were very colorful and entertaining but irrelevant. He later resigned from his position in the following year.

8. Adam Lindsay Gordon Fell into Very Low Spirits

After he failed in the position of the South Australian House of Assembly, he turned to Victoria and not Melbourne since it had rejected his poetry. He had several accidents as his horse smashed him against the gatepost in his yard.

His daughter also died at the age of 11 months and still experienced financial difficulties.

9. He Won Three Races at the Melbourne Hunt Club Steeplechase

Adam Lindsay Gordon went on with the horse race competition although he had an issue with his sight. He also ended up winning three races on the same day during the Melbourne Hunt Club Steeplechase. He was however not very lucky as he had serious fall when he began riding for money.

10. A Monument was Erected over his Grave

Statue of Adam Lindsay Gordon. Photo by Mattinbgn.

After his death, Adam Lindsay Gordon received a lot of praise, and attention was given to his spectacular works. His close friend erected a monument over his grave at the Brighton General Cemetery which was a statue in his memory. He however remains the only poet in Australia who is commemorated there.

Adam Lindsay Gordon is a well-known politician, poet, and horseman who had a wonderful career. He however lived undisciplined life as a student which saw him being expelled from different schools.

 

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