Sir George Houston REID (1845 - 1918)**

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 Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Nov 1880 11 Jun 1901 20yr(s) 6mth(s) 26day(s) Member for East Sydney 17 Nov 1880 23 Nov 1882 2yrs 7days 10th (1880 - 1882) Member for East Sydney 30 Nov 1882 5 Jan 1883 1mth 7days 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for East Sydney 11 Jan 1883 21 Feb 1884 1yr 1mth 11days 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for East Sydney 16 Oct 1885 26 Jan 1887 1yr 3mths 11days 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for East Sydney 5 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1yr 11mths 15days 13th (1887 - 1889) Member for East Sydney 2 Feb 1889 6 Jun 1891 2yrs 4mths 5days 14th (1889 - 1891) Member for East Sydney 17 Jun 1891 25 Jun 1894 3yrs 9days 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Sydney-King 17 Jul 1894 3 Aug 1894 18days 16th (1894 - 1895) Member for Sydney-King 11 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 25days 16th (1894 - 1895) Member for Sydney-King 24 Jul 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yrs 11mths 15days 17th (1895 - 1898) Member for Sydney-King 27 Jul 1898 11 Jun 1901 2yrs 10mths 16days 18th (1898 - 1901) Minister of Public Instruction 5 Jan 1883 6 Mar 1884 1yr(s) 2mth(s) 2day(s) Colonial Treasurer 3 Aug 1894 3 Jul 1899 4yr(s) 11mth(s) 1day(s) Premier 3 Aug 1894 13 Sep 1899 5yr(s) 1mth(s) 11day(s) Attorney General 19 Apr 1899 13 Sep 1899 4mth(s) 26day(s) The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 16 Dec 1880 16 Dec 1880 1day 10th (1880 - 1882) Standing Orders Committee No.3 17 Dec 1880 6 Apr 1881 3mths 21days 10th (1880 - 1882) Kurrajong Land and Riley Street Surry Hills Land Sales Bill Committee No.6 13 Jan 1881 21 Jan 1881 9days 10th (1880 - 1882) Assisted Immigration Committee No.8 18 Jan 1881 5 Apr 1881 2mths 19days 10th (1880 - 1882) Australian Steam Navigation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.14 10 Mar 1881 17 Mar 1881 8days 10th (1880 - 1882) Australian Steam Navigation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.14 10 Mar 1881 17 Mar 1881 8days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.18 22 Mar 1881 6 Apr 1881 16days 10th (1880 - 1882) Bates’s Estate Bill Committee No.19 23 Mar 1881 29 Mar 1881 7days 10th (1880 - 1882) Standing Orders Committee No.4 6 Jul 1881 29 Jul 1881 24days 10th (1880 - 1882) Osborne’s Leasing Bill Committee No.10 15 Jul 1881 5 Aug 1881 22days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Width of Streets and Lanes Bill Committee No.14 26 Aug 1881 21 Oct 1881 1mth 26days 10th (1880 - 1882) Presbyterian Church Property Management Bill Committee No.15 30 Aug 1881 27 Sep 1881 29days 10th (1880 - 1882) Moffitt’s Estate Enabling Bill Committee No.18 6 Sep 1881 5 Oct 1881 30days 10th (1880 - 1882) Royal Society of New South Wales Incorporation Bill Committee No.19 16 Sep 1881 27 Sep 1881 12days 10th (1880 - 1882) Royal Society of New South Wales Incorporation Bill Committee No.19 16 Sep 1881 27 Sep 1881 12days 10th (1880 - 1882) Chairman Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 Aug 1882 21 Nov 1882 2mths 23days 10th (1880 - 1882) Blandford Proprietary School Bill Committee No.9 6 Feb 1883 13 Feb 1883 8days 11th (1882 - 1885) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 20 Nov 1885 22 Dec 1885 1mth 3days 12th (1885 - 1887) Standing Orders Committee No.3 3 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10mths 23days 12th (1885 - 1887) Sydney Corporation Act Amendment Bill Committee No.38 14 May 1886 14 May 1886 1day 12th (1885 - 1887) Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 11 Mar 1887 29 Mar 1887 19days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.4 15 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3mths 29days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.3 21 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 10mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) North Shore, Manly and Pittwater Tramway and Railway Bill Committee No.18 12 Oct 1887 25 Oct 1887 14days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.5 3 Apr 1889 10 Oct 1889 6mths 8days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.4 27 Nov 1889 21 Dec 1889 25days 14th (1889 - 1891) Library Committee No.4 30 Apr 1890 20 Dec 1890 7mths 21days 14th (1889 - 1891) Library Committee No.3 26 May 1891 2 Jun 1891 8days 15th (1891 - 1894) Library Committee No.6 5 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.5 5 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 23 Jan 1894 5 Jun 1894 4mths 14days 16th (1894 - 1895) Standing Orders Committee No. 2 29 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 7days 16th (1894 - 1895) Library Committee No. 3 29 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 7days 16th (1894 - 1895) Refreshment Committee No. 4 29 Aug 1894 5 Jul 1895 10mths 7days 16th (1894 - 1895) Appropriation Bill. Committee No. 15 21 Dec 1894 5 Jul 1895 6mths 15days 16th (1894 - 1895) Address of Condolence to Lady Duff. Committee No. 16 19 Mar 1895 5 Jul 1895 3mths 17days 16th (1894 - 1895) Printing Committee No.5 14 May 1895 12 Nov 1896 1yr 5mths 30days 17th (1895 - 1898) Refreshment. Committee No. 4 20 Aug 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yrs 10mths 19days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders. Committee No. 2 20 Aug 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yrs 10mths 19days 17th (1895 - 1898) Library. Committee No. 3 20 Aug 1895 8 Jul 1898 2yrs 10mths 19days 17th (1895 - 1898) Refreshment Committee No.4 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6mths 3days 17th (1895 - 1898) Printing Committee No.5 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6mths 3days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders Committee No.2 14 May 1896 16 Nov 1896 6mths 3days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 Apr 1897 18 Aug 1897 3mths 22days 17th (1895 - 1898) Printing Committee No.5 28 Apr 1897 9 Dec 1897 7mths 12days 17th (1895 - 1898) Refreshment Committee No.4 28 Apr 1897 10 Dec 1897 7mths 13days 17th (1895 - 1898) Library Committee No.3 28 Apr 1897 10 Dec 1897 7mths 13days 17th (1895 - 1898) Printing Committee No. 5 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Library Committee No. 4 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Standing Orders Committee No. 2 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Refreshment Committee No. 3 28 Jun 1898 8 Jul 1898 11days 17th (1895 - 1898) Printing Committee No. 6 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No. 5 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No. 3 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No. 4 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 29days 18th (1898 - 1901) Printing Committee No.4 21 Feb 1899 23 Feb 1899 3days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.2 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1mth 10days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No.3 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1mth 10days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.1 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1mth 10days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No.4 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Printing Committee No.5 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.3 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.2 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Printing Committee No.7 2 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 2 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Refreshment Committee No.6 2 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 2 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4mths 22days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.4 8 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4mths 16days 18th (1898 - 1901) Standing Orders Committee No.4 20 Jun 1900 24 Jul 1900 1mth 5days 18th (1898 - 1901) Library Committee No.5 20 Jun 1900 28 Nov 1900 5mths 9days 18th (1898 - 1901) Racing Association Bill Committee No.23 18 Sep 1900 1 Dec 1900 2mths 14days 18th (1898 - 1901)

Political Party Activity

Freetrade Party 1901 - 1904; Leader 1901 - 1904

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.

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.

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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