James Moorhouse (1826-1915), Anglican bishop, had an exceptionally distinguished career and publication record before he came from England to Melbourne to succeed Charles Perry. Consecrated in Westminster Abbey in late 1876 he arrived in the city in early 1877. He took to Melbourne instantly, and was immediately popular, initiating a well-attended annual lecture which he gave until 1885. In 1878 Trinity College of the University of Melbourne opened, and Moorhouse personally donated funds for theology students, of whom there was a dearth. He laid the foundation stone of the cathedral at the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets in April 1880; the building was largely completed by 1891. He gave the inaugural address to the Australian Church Congress in 1882 and formed the first Church of England Mission to the streets of Melbourne in 1885. He returned to England in March 1886 to become bishop of Manchester.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010
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