DAVIES, Sir Matthew Henry (1850-1912)
Sir Matthew Davies, solicitor, parliamentarian and ‘land boomer’ whose financial empire collapsed with the insolvency of his Mercantile Bank in 1892 was a member of a family heavily involved in the Victorian land speculation boom of the 1880s. With three of his brothers (Sir) John Mark Davies (1840-1919), George Schoen Davies (1841-1910) and Joseph Bartlett Davies (1843-1924), Matthew Davies was at the forefront of the land boom, having established his first land company in 1881.
He was the only one of his brothers to attend Geelong College. Initially, he had also been a student at Geelong Grammar but after its brief closure had moved to Geelong College. His father, Ebenezer Davies may have been an associate of James Balfour and several of the children had strong Presbyterian associations. Matthew Henry Davies attended the College from about 1864. He completed matriculation in 1869.