James Rankine


James Rankine, often referred to as "Captain Rankine", was a farmer, businessman and politician in the early days of the Colony of South Australia.

History

Rankine was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, the eldest son of sheep farmer William Rankine and his wife Jane, née Paterson. He migrated with his parents to South Australia on the barque Fairfield in 1839 and settled at "Glenbarr", Strathalbyn, South Australia.
At the age of twenty years he was made manager of a property leased by his father and uncle, Dr. John Rankine, on Hindmarsh Island. After a few years wheat farming at Mundowie, near Gladstone in South Australia's Mid-North, he settled on his own property "Wyndgate" on Hindmarsh Island, where he raised cattle and pigs.

Business

He was for a time agent in South Australia for the Cornwall Fire and Marine and Eagle Life Insurance Companies, and was one of the founders of and for over twenty years Director of the National Bank of Australasia.

Politics

He was Chairman of the Alexandrina District Council for many years, and represented the electorate of Mount Barker in the House of Assembly from 1865 to 1868, and was elected to the Legislative Council in February 1881 and retired in April 1888.

Other interests

He was an enthusiastic member of the volunteer militia, holding a commission as captain of the Military Rifle Company, then with the Milang and Strathalbyn Cavalry Corps. He was a crack shot, and won a first prize in the annual small-bore competition in Melbourne in 1866. He also acquitted himself well at the Wimbledon meeting of 1868.
His comments on public affairs were frequently published in the "Letters to the Editor" columns of the South Australian Register. The Advertiser, in its obituary, described Rankine as a respected farmer without mentioning his political career or other achievements.

Family

He married Isabel Agnes Beevor on 12 May 1869, lived at "Wyndgate" on Hindmarsh Island. Their children were: