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Member Details

Sir George Houstoun REID, GCB (1845 - 1918)

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Date of Birth: 25/02/1845
Place of Birth: Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Date of Death: 12/09/1918
Place of Death: London, England
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Racing Association Bill Committee No.23 18 Sep 1900 01 Dec 1900 2 months 14 days
Library Committee No.5 20 Jun 1900 28 Nov 1900 5 months 9 days
Standing Orders Committee No.4 20 Jun 1900 24 Jul 1900 1 month 5 days
Standing Orders Committee No.4 08 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4 months 16 days
Library Committee No.5 02 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4 months 22 days
Library Committee No.5 02 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2 months 9 days
Printing Committee No.7 02 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2 months 9 days
Refreshment Committee No.6 02 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2 months 9 days
Attorney General 19 Apr 1899 13 Sep 1899 4 months 26 days
Library Committee No.3 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9 days
Printing Committee No.5 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9 days
Refreshment Committee No.4 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9 days
Library Committee No.2 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1 month 10 days
Printing Committee No.4 21 Feb 1899 23 Feb 1899 3 days
Refreshment Committee No.3 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1 month 10 days
Standing Orders Committee No.1 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1 month 10 days
Library Committee No. 4 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3 months 29 days
Printing Committee No. 6 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3 months 29 days
Refreshment Committee No. 5 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3 months 29 days
Standing Orders Committee No. 3 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3 months 29 days
Member for Sydney-King 27 Jul 1898 11 Jun 1901 2 years 10 months 16 days
Library Committee No. 4 28 Jun 1898 08 Jul 1898 11 days
Printing Committee No. 5 28 Jun 1898 08 Jul 1898 11 days
Refreshment Committee No. 3 28 Jun 1898 08 Jul 1898 11 days
Standing Orders Committee No. 2 28 Jun 1898 08 Jul 1898 11 days
Library Committee No.3 28 Apr 1897 10 Dec 1897 7 months 13 days
Printing Committee No.5 28 Apr 1897 09 Dec 1897 7 months 12 days
Refreshment Committee No.4 28 Apr 1897 10 Dec 1897 7 months 13 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 Apr 1897 18 Aug 1897 3 months 22 days
Printing Committee No.5 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6 months 3 days
Refreshment Committee No.4 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6 months 3 days
Standing Orders Committee No.2 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6 months 3 days
Library. Committee No. 3 20 Aug 1895 08 Jul 1898 2 years 10 months 19 days
Refreshment. Committee No. 4 20 Aug 1895 08 Jul 1898 2 years 10 months 19 days
Standing Orders. Committee No. 2 20 Aug 1895 08 Jul 1898 2 years 10 months 19 days
Member for Sydney-King 24 Jul 1895 08 Jul 1898 2 years 11 months 15 days
Printing Committee No.5 14 May 1895 12 Nov 1896 1 year 5 months 30 days
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
Library Committee No. 3 29 Aug 1894 05 Jul 1895 10 months 7 days
Refreshment Committee No. 4 29 Aug 1894 05 Jul 1895 10 months 7 days
Standing Orders Committee No. 2 29 Aug 1894 05 Jul 1895 10 months 7 days
Member for Sydney-King 11 Aug 1894 05 Jul 1895 10 months 25 days
Colonial Treasurer 03 Aug 1894 03 Jul 1899 4 years 11 months 1 day
Premier 03 Aug 1894 13 Sep 1899 5 years 1 month 11 days
Member for Sydney-King 17 Jul 1894 03 Aug 1894 18 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 23 Jan 1894 05 Jun 1894 4 months 14 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Sep 1893 08 Dec 1893 2 months 12 days
Library Committee No.6 05 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14 days
Standing Orders Committee No.5 05 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14 days
Member for East Sydney 17 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3 years 9 days
Library Committee No.3 26 May 1891 02 Jun 1891 8 days
Library Committee No.4 30 Apr 1890 20 Dec 1890 7 months 21 days
Library Committee No.4 27 Nov 1889 21 Dec 1889 25 days
Library Committee No.5 03 Apr 1889 10 Oct 1889 6 months 8 days
Member for East Sydney 02 Feb 1889 06 Jun 1891 2 years 4 months 5 days
Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3 months 4 days
North Shore, Manly and Pittwater Tramway and Railway Bill Committee No.18 12 Oct 1887 25 Oct 1887 14 days
Library Committee No.3 21 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 10 months 4 days
Library Committee No.4 15 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3 months 29 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 11 Mar 1887 29 Mar 1887 19 days
Member for East Sydney 05 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1 year 11 months 15 days
Sydney Corporation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.38 14 May 1886 14 May 1886 1 day
Standing Orders Committee No.3 03 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10 months 23 days
Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 20 Nov 1885 22 Dec 1885 1 month 3 days
Member for East Sydney 16 Oct 1885 26 Jan 1887 1 year 3 months 11 days
Blandford Proprietary School Bill Committee No.9 06 Feb 1883 13 Feb 1883 8 days
Member for East Sydney 11 Jan 1883 21 Feb 1884 1 year 1 month 11 days
Minister of Public Instruction 05 Jan 1883 06 Mar 1884 1 year 2 months 2 days
Member for East Sydney 30 Nov 1882 05 Jan 1883 1 month 7 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 Aug 1882 21 Nov 1882 2 months 23 days
Royal Society of New South Wales Incorporation Bill Committee No.19 16 Sep 1881 27 Sep 1881 12 days Chairman
Royal Society of New South Wales Incorporation Bill Committee No.19 16 Sep 1881 27 Sep 1881 12 days
Moffitt’s Estate Enabling Bill Committee No.18 06 Sep 1881 05 Oct 1881 1 month
Presbyterian Church Property Management Bill Committee No.15 30 Aug 1881 27 Sep 1881 29 days
Width of Streets and Lanes Bill Committee No.14 26 Aug 1881 21 Oct 1881 1 month 26 days
Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.10 15 Jul 1881 05 Aug 1881 22 days Chairman
Standing Orders Committee No.4 06 Jul 1881 29 Jul 1881 24 days
Bates’s Estate Bill Committee No.19 23 Mar 1881 29 Mar 1881 7 days
Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.18 22 Mar 1881 06 Apr 1881 16 days
Australian Steam Navigation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.14 10 Mar 1881 17 Mar 1881 8 days Chairman
Australian Steam Navigation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.14 10 Mar 1881 17 Mar 1881 8 days
Assisted Immigration Committee No.8 18 Jan 1881 05 Apr 1881 2 months 19 days
Kurrajong Land and Riley Street Surry Hills Land Sales Bill Committee No.6 13 Jan 1881 21 Jan 1881 9 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 17 Dec 1880 06 Apr 1881 3 months 21 days
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 16 Dec 1880 16 Dec 1880 1 day
Member for East Sydney 17 Nov 1880 23 Nov 1882 2 years 7 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Nov 1880 11 Jun 1901 20 years 6 months 26 days
Political Party Activity
Freetrade Party 1901 - 1904; Leader 1901 - 1904
Community Activity
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Lawyer (Barrister). Arrived in Australia with parents in 1852. Educated at the Melbourne Academy (later Scotch College). Journeyed to New South Wales in 1858. Clerk in Sydney merchant's office to 1864; Colonial Treasury 1864-1878; Secretary to the Attorney-General 1878-1880; Called to Bar 1879; Queens Counsel in 1898. High Commissioner for Australia, London, 1910- 1916. Represented New South Wales at Federal Convention 1897. Attended Diamond Jubilee celebrations in England 1897. Author of Five Freetrade Essays 1875; New South Wales the Mother Colony of the Australians, 1878.
Military Service
Honours Received
Honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) Oxford University (UK) in 1897. Privy Councillor in 1897. Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1909. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1911. Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1916.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Member of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Member of the House of Representatives for East Sydney 1901 - 1909. Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for External Affairs 1904 - 1905. Leader of the Federal Freetrade Party and of the Opposition 1901 - 1904. Member of the British Parliament: House of Commons seat of St George's, Hanover Square, 1916 - 1918.
Local Government Activity
Personal
Youngest son of the Reverend John Reid, Presbyterian Minister and his wife Marion Crybbace (d. 1885). Married Flora Ann Brumby on 5 November 1891 in Thornton Cressy, Tasmania. Presbyterian.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11 George Houstoun Reid, 'My Reminiscences', 1917 W. G. McMinn, 'George Reid', 1989 National Archives of Australia, 'Australia's Prime Ministers' Website http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/ National Archives of Australia Fact Sheet 213: 'George Houstoun Reid Prime Minister of Australia 1904-05' http://www.naa.gov.au/fsheets/fs213.html A biography is on the National Library of Australia's Federation Gateway website: http://www.nla.gov.au/guides/federation/people/reid.html A biography is also on the 'Electric Scotland' Website: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/australia/reid_george.htm Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: 1. Sir George Houston Reid - papers, 1876 (MLMSS 4436) 2. Sir George Houston Reid - papers, 1873 - 1916, (Ar 57) 3. Sir George Houston Reid - papers, 1880, 1916. 4. Sir George Houston - 'New South Wales the mother colony of the Australias', 187. (MLMSS 219). David Clune and Ken Turner (Editors), The Premiers of New South Wales: Volume 1 - 1856 - 1901, The Federation Press, Sydney, 2006 [Chapter 12: "Reid, George", by Michael Hogan, p. 191]

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