family had grants totalling 1,500 acres adjoining Fosterville and 12,000 acres at Cape Portland. Business expansion Foster's farming enterprises in Tasmania were successful. Early in the 1840s, he sought to expand by acquiring landholdings in Gippsland, Victoria, and was soon exporting sheep and wool from them. In 1845 he purchased the ship Joseph Cripps for the trade between Gippsland and Tasmania, and later also the Lady Loch and schooner Mary Ann. In Tasmania, he became a grain exporter and also built and operated a hotel at Port Albert. In Hobart, Foster became a director of several companies with interests in transport, coal, gas, insurance and banking and built a home there. By 1853, John Foster was described in a newspaper article about his brother, William, as "a large landed proprietor in Van Dieman's Land and Gipp's Land, and well known to mercantile men in Sydney as one of the wealthiest men in the three colonies". Public service Foster was appointed a Justice in of the Peace in 1836 and became police magistrate for the Sorell and Prosser River districts. In 1868 he was elected to represent the Huon district in the Legislative Council and served until 1874. Private life In 1863 Foster married Ann Riddiford, a widow, with whom he already had two sons, born in 1860 and 1862. Together, they eventually had six children, four sons and two daughters, but the eldest died in an accident when he was only six years old. John Foster died at Hobart on 27 June 1875, and was buried in the family vault at Cornelian Bay Church of England cemetery. Legacy Foster's will made provision for his children to be educated in England, so, in 1876 his widow set off with her five surviving children. She set up home in Brighton and lived there until her death in 1882. Foster left a substantial estate of land holdings and other assets that would only be finally distributed after his youngest son reached the age of 21 in 1889. Subsequent generations of the Foster family continued to prosper and, at the beginning of the 21st century, one of his descendants was listed among Australia's 200 wealthiest citizens. One of Foster's grandsons, Francis Foster, served as member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly between 1937 and 1941. References 1792 births 1875 deaths Members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council English emigrants to Australia People from Craven District