Prosper de Mestre.

About Prosper de Mestre

Jean Charles Prosper de Mestre, known as Prosper de Mestre, was a French-born prominent businessman in Sydney, Australia from 1818 until near his death in 1844. He was a "citizen of the world", who played an important role in the development of commerce and banking in the British Colony of New South Wales. He became a successful merchant and business leader in Sydney. In 1825 he became the second person to be naturalised in the colony. In addition to being one of the early directors of the Bank of New South Wales between 1826 and 1842, he was also a founder of the local insurance industry, a member of the committee of the Agricultural Society of New South Wales, and became involved in importing, shipping and whaling. There are numerous references to his business activities in the Colonial Secretary's papers of the day.