Joseph Hyde Potts (1793 – 1865) was an accountant and in 1817 was the first employee to be engaged by the Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac).^[1]

On 9 August 1834 he married Emma Bates (d.1901). The marriage was conducted by the Rev. William Cowper at fashionable St. Phillip's Church.^[2] They had four children: Joseph (b. 1835), Harriet (b. 1837), Francis (b. 1839) and Josephine (b. 1843).

In 1830 Potts acquired 64 acres (260,000 m²) of land from Judge-Advocate John Wylde^[3] on what was previously known as Paddys Point^[4] and Woolloomooloo Hill^[5] and renamed it Potts Point. Potts purchased another 369 acres (1.49 km²) in 1834, 470 acres (1.9 km²) in 1835 and a further 625 acres (2.53 km²) in 1835. Potts Hill reservoir and Potts Point are located on a large portion of Joseph Hyde Potts' original land.^[6]

In 1841 the Crown granted a further 256 acres (1.04 km²) to Potts, who was at that time Secretary of the Bank of New South Wales, near where Homebush^[7] and Australian Catholic University's Mount Royal College campus is located at Strathfield^[8] is today.