Solomon Levey

Solomon Levey (c. 1794 – 10 October 1833) was a convict transported to Australia in 1815 for theft who became a highly successful merchant and financier, at one time issuing his own banknotes in New South Wales.

At age 19, Levey was sentenced in October 1813 at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales to seven years of transportation for his alleged involvement in the theft of 41 kilograms (90 lb) of tea and a wooden chest.

Among other things, he owned part of a water mill in Liverpool, ran a rope factory, and had land and livestock in Argyle and Cumberland.

By 1828, it was among the country's biggest stock-owners; Cooper & Levey eventually owned most of the land in Waterloo, Alexandria, Redfern, Randwick and Neutral Bay.

The company's £20,000 capital was entirely provided for by Levey, who even sold the land he owned in Sydney to purchase supplies for Peel and the other Swan River colonists.