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Sir George Richard DIBBS, KCMG (1834 - 1904)

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Date of Birth: 12/10/1834
Place of Birth: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 05/08/1904
Place of Death: Hunters Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Address of Condolence to Lady Duff. Committee No. 16 19 Mar 1895 05 Jul 1895 3 months 17 days
Appropriation Bill. Committee No. 15 21 Dec 1894 05 Jul 1895 6 months 15 days
Standing Orders Committee No. 2 29 Aug 1894 05 Jul 1895 10 months 7 days
Member for Tamworth 17 Jul 1894 05 Jul 1895 11 months 19 days
Children’s Protection Act Amendment Bill Committee No.9 20 Feb 1894 05 Jun 1894 3 months 17 days
Library Committee No.4 23 Jan 1894 11 Jun 1894 4 months 20 days
Refreshment Committee No.5 23 Jan 1894 11 Jun 1894 4 months 20 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 23 Jan 1894 05 Jun 1894 4 months 14 days
Library Committee No.4 27 Sep 1893 08 Dec 1893 2 months 12 days
Refreshment Committee No.5 27 Sep 1893 08 Dec 1893 2 months 12 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Sep 1893 08 Dec 1893 2 months 12 days
Working of the Government Labour Bureau Committee No.25 26 Apr 1893 02 Jun 1893 1 month 8 days
William Stafford, ex Mounted Sergeant of Police Committee No.23 12 Apr 1893 12 May 1893 1 month 1 day
Member for Murrumbidgee 30 Mar 1893 25 Jun 1894 1 year 2 months 27 days
Standing Orders Committee No.5 05 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14 days
Goulburn Water Supply Charges Bill Committee No.25 01 Dec 1891 15 Dec 1891 15 days
Member for Murrumbidgee 04 Nov 1891 23 Mar 1893 1 year 4 months 20 days
Colonial Secretary 23 Oct 1891 02 Aug 1894 2 years 9 months 11 days
Premier 23 Oct 1891 02 Aug 1894 2 years 9 months 11 days
Sydney Electric Lighting Bill Committee No.7 04 Aug 1891 26 Aug 1891 23 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 Jul 1891 01 Apr 1892 8 months 5 days
Member for Murrumbidgee 29 Jun 1891 26 Oct 1891 3 months 28 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 26 May 1891 02 Jun 1891 8 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 Apr 1890 03 Dec 1890 7 months 4 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Nov 1889 21 Dec 1889 25 days
Standing Orders Committee No.4 03 Apr 1889 16 May 1889 1 month 14 days
Member for Murrumbidgee 01 Feb 1889 06 Jun 1891 2 years 4 months 6 days
Colonial Secretary 17 Jan 1889 07 Mar 1889 1 month 19 days
Premier 17 Jan 1889 07 Mar 1889 1 month 19 days
Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3 months 4 days
Trades Conciliation Bill Committee No.53 17 Apr 1888 02 Oct 1890 2 years 5 months 16 days
Hunter street, Newcastle, Extension Bill Committee No.46 29 Feb 1888 03 May 1888 2 months 5 days
Broken Hill Tramway Bill Committee No.28 17 Nov 1887 28 Feb 1888 3 months 12 days
Library Committee No.3 21 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 10 months 4 days
Parliamentary Hansard Committee No.28 09 Jun 1887 12 Jul 1887 1 month 4 days
Library Committee No.4 15 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3 months 29 days
Member for Murrumbidgee 24 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1 year 10 months 27 days
Member for Murrumbidgee 09 Mar 1886 26 Jan 1887 10 months 18 days
Colonial Secretary 26 Feb 1886 19 Jan 1887 10 months 25 days
Claim of Mr Thomas Horton Committee No.15 28 Jan 1886 10 Feb 1886 14 days
Library Committee No.4 03 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10 months 23 days
Refreshment Committee No.5 03 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10 months 23 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 03 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10 months 23 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 18 Nov 1885 18 Nov 1885 1 day
Member for Murrumbidgee 31 Oct 1885 02 Mar 1886 4 months 2 days
Premier 07 Oct 1885 21 Dec 1885 2 months 15 days
Premier 07 Oct 1885 21 Dec 1885 2 months 15 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 09 Sep 1885 09 Sep 1885 1 day
Library Committee No.3 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11 days
Refreshment Committee No.4 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11 days
Library Committee No.3 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9 days
Refreshment Room Committee No.4 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9 days
Claim of Mr. Thomas Horton Committee No.39 26 Feb 1884 04 Jul 1884 4 months 9 days
Manly Gaslight and Coke Company’s Bill Committee No.33 07 Feb 1884 11 Mar 1884 1 month 5 days Chairman
Oddfellows Hall, Elizabeth street Committee No.18 22 Nov 1883 09 Oct 1884 10 months 18 days
Member for St Leonards 10 Jan 1883 07 Oct 1885 2 years 8 months 28 days
Colonial Secretary 05 Jan 1883 21 Dec 1885 2 years 11 months 17 days
Member for St Leonards 05 Dec 1882 05 Jan 1883 1 month 1 day
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 05 Dec 1882 05 Jul 1895 12 years 7 months 1 day
Refreshment Room No.4 14 Dec 1876 11 Oct 1877 9 months 28 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 14 Dec 1876 11 Oct 1877 9 months 28 days
Report of Examiner of Coal Fields on Land held by Messrs Garrett and Greville Committee No.26 04 Aug 1876 17 Aug 1876 14 days
The Case of Amelia Gould Committee No.10 14 Dec 1875 29 Feb 1876 2 months 16 days
North Shore Gas Bill Committee No.5 19 Nov 1875 08 Dec 1875 20 days Chairman
Standing Orders Committee No.3 18 Nov 1875 22 Aug 1876 9 months 5 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 15 Jul 1875 11 Aug 1875 28 days
Mineral Selection at Milburn Creek Committee No.15 25 May 1875 04 Aug 1875 2 months 11 days
Standing Orders Committee No.4 31 Mar 1875 11 Aug 1875 4 months 12 days
Member for West Sydney 16 Dec 1874 12 Oct 1877 2 years 9 months 27 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 16 Dec 1874 12 Oct 1877 2 years 9 months 27 days
Political Party Activity
Community Activity
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Merchant; ship owner. Educated at St Philip's Church of England school, then the Australian College under the Reverend J. D. Lang. Junior clerk with William Brown & Co., wine merchants, 1848. Joined his brother in Dibbs & Co., commission agents, c. 1854; associated with father-in-law in business ventures 1857-1859; then returned to J.C. Dibbs & Company, as manager of Newcastle branch and later the Sydney office. To Valparaiso, Chile, as corn factor, opening branch of J.C. Dibbs & Company in 1865; bankrupted by failure of Agra Bank 1866; returned to Sydney in 1867; by 1875 had paid creditors in full. Extended into importing and shipowning from 1869. Chairman, Australia Steam Navigation Co., taking leading role during 1878 seamen's strike over use of Chinese labour. Won public esteem when gaoled for a year 1880 - 1881 for refusing on principle to pay £ 2000 damages for slander. Announced conversion from free trade to protection in July 1887. Represented New South Wales at the 1891 Federal Convention. Represented New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and New Zealand on a financial mission in London, 1892. Managing trustee, Savings Bank of New South Wales, 1896 - 1904.
Military Service
Honours Received
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1892.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Captain John Dibbs, ship's captain, and his wife Sophia Elizabeth Allwright. Married on 18 March 1857 at Camperdown, New South Wales, to Anne Maria, daughter of Ralph Mayer Robey (a Member of the Legislative Council), and had issue, 2 sons and 9 daughters. Church of England.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4 Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. George R.Dibbs - papers, 1891 - 1904 (MLMSS 132); photographs in the PICMAN Database. 2. George R. (George Richard) Dibbs - papers, 1830, 1883 - 1893, including family letters (MLMSS 6524); photographs in the PICMAN Database. A biography is on the National Library of Australia's Federation gateway website: http://www.nla.gov.au/guides/federation/people/dibbs.html A biography is also on the 'Electric Scotland' website: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/australia/dibbs_george.htm David Clune and Ken Turner (Editors), The Premiers of New South Wales: Volume 1 - 1856 - 1901, The Federation Press, Sydney, 2006 [Chapter 10: "Dibbs, George", by TW Campbell, p. 169]

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