William James Byram was born in Brisbane in the 1860s. He entered the Brisbane Grammar School in 1878 and left it in 1880 as the dux of the school. He studied for a year at the University of Sydney, gaining honours in Classics, and also the University prize for English Verse for his poem 'Beethoven.' In 1882, he became a solicitor in Brisbane. He had a distinguished career, becoming Chairman of Directors of the Brisbane Building Society, and a Trustee of the Brisbane Grammar School. In his private life, he maintained a wide range of literary, cultural and scientific interests, giving lectures to members of the Australasian Home Reading Union and serving as President of the Royal Society of Queensland in 1902. He died in 1922 and his translation of Aeschylus' 'Prometheus Bound' was published posthumously to favourable reviews.
From the description of Papers [manuscript]. 1883-1966. (Libraries Australia). WorldCat record id: 225502385
