Sir George Richard DIBBS (1834 - 1904)**

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 Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 16 Dec 1874 12 Oct 1877 2yr(s) 9mth(s) 27day(s) Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 5 Dec 1882 5 Jul 1895 12yr(s) 7mth(s) 1day(s) Member for West Sydney 16 Dec 1874 12 Oct 1877 2yr(s) 9mth(s) 27day(s) Member for St Leonards 5 Dec 1882 5 Jan 1883 1mth(s) 1day(s) 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for St Leonards 10 Jan 1883 7 Oct 1885 2yr(s) 8mth(s) 28day(s) 11th (1882 - 1885) Member for Murrumbidgee 31 Oct 1885 2 Mar 1886 4mth(s) 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for Murrumbidgee 9 Mar 1886 26 Jan 1887 10mth(s) 18day(s) 12th (1885 - 1887) Member for Murrumbidgee 24 Feb 1887 19 Jan 1889 1yr(s) 10mth(s) 27day(s) 13th (1887 - 1889) Member for Murrumbidgee 1 Feb 1889 6 Jun 1891 2yr(s) 4mth(s) 6day(s) 14th (1889 - 1891) Member for Murrumbidgee 29 Jun 1891 26 Oct 1891 3mth(s) 28day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Murrumbidgee 4 Nov 1891 23 Mar 1893 1yr(s) 4mth(s) 20day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Murrumbidgee 30 Mar 1893 25 Jun 1894 1yr(s) 2mth(s) 27day(s) 15th (1891 - 1894) Member for Tamworth 17 Jul 1894 5 Jul 1895 11mth(s) 19day(s) 16th (1894 - 1895) Premier 7 Oct 1885 21 Dec 1885 2mth(s) 15day(s) Premier 17 Jan 1889 7 Mar 1889 1mth(s) 19day(s) Colonial Secretary 5 Jan 1883 21 Dec 1885 2yr(s) 11mth(s) 17day(s) Premier 7 Oct 1885 21 Dec 1885 2mth(s) 15day(s) Colonial Secretary 26 Feb 1886 19 Jan 1887 10mth(s) 25day(s) Colonial Secretary 17 Jan 1889 7 Mar 1889 1mth(s) 19day(s) Premier 23 Oct 1891 2 Aug 1894 2yr(s) 9mth(s) 11day(s) Colonial Secretary 23 Oct 1891 2 Aug 1894 2yr(s) 9mth(s) 11day(s) Standing Orders Committee No.4 31 Mar 1875 11 Aug 1875 4mths 12days 8th (1875 - 1877) Mineral Selection at Milburn Creek Committee No.15 25 May 1875 4 Aug 1875 2mths 11days 8th (1875 - 1877) The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 15 Jul 1875 11 Aug 1875 28days 8th (1875 - 1877) Standing Orders Committee No.3 18 Nov 1875 22 Aug 1876 9mths 5days 8th (1875 - 1877) North Shore Gas Bill Committee No.5 19 Nov 1875 8 Dec 1875 20days 8th (1875 - 1877) Chairman The Case of Amelia Gould Committee No.10 14 Dec 1875 29 Feb 1876 2mths 16days 8th (1875 - 1877) Report of Examiner of Coal Fields on Land held by Messrs Garrett and Greville Committee No.26 4 Aug 1876 17 Aug 1876 14days 8th (1875 - 1877) Standing Orders Committee No.3 14 Dec 1876 11 Oct 1877 9mths 28days 8th (1875 - 1877) Refreshment Room No.4 14 Dec 1876 11 Oct 1877 9mths 28days 8th (1875 - 1877) Oddfellows Hall, Elizabeth street Committee No.18 22 Nov 1883 9 Oct 1884 10mths 18days 11th (1882 - 1885) Manly Gaslight and Coke Company’s Bill Committee No.33 7 Feb 1884 11 Mar 1884 1mth 5days 11th (1882 - 1885) Chairman Claim of Mr. Thomas Horton Committee No.39 26 Feb 1884 4 Jul 1884 4mths 9days 11th (1882 - 1885) Library Committee No.3 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9days 11th (1882 - 1885) Standing Orders Committee No.2 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9days 11th (1882 - 1885) Refreshment Room Committee No.4 19 Nov 1884 27 Nov 1884 9days 11th (1882 - 1885) Refreshment Committee No.4 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11days 12th (1885 - 1887) Library Committee No.3 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11days 12th (1885 - 1887) Standing Orders Committee No.2 17 Mar 1885 27 Mar 1885 11days 12th (1885 - 1887) The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 9 Sep 1885 9 Sep 1885 1day 12th (1885 - 1887) The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 18 Nov 1885 18 Nov 1885 1day 12th (1885 - 1887) Refreshment Committee No.5 3 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10mths 23days 12th (1885 - 1887) Library Committee No.4 3 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10mths 23days 12th (1885 - 1887) Standing Orders Committee No.3 3 Dec 1885 25 Oct 1886 10mths 23days 12th (1885 - 1887) Claim of Mr Thomas Horton Committee No.15 28 Jan 1886 10 Feb 1886 14days 12th (1885 - 1887) Library Committee No.4 15 Mar 1887 13 Jul 1887 3mths 29days 13th (1887 - 1889) Parliamentary Hansard Committee No.28 9 Jun 1887 12 Jul 1887 1mth 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Library Committee No.3 21 Sep 1887 24 Jul 1888 10mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Broken Hill Tramway Bill Committee No.28 17 Nov 1887 28 Feb 1888 3mths 12days 13th (1887 - 1889) Hunter street, Newcastle, Extension Bill Committee No.46 29 Feb 1888 3 May 1888 2mths 5days 13th (1887 - 1889) Trades Conciliation Bill Committee No.53 17 Apr 1888 2 Oct 1890 2yrs 5mths 16days 14th (1889 - 1891) Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1888 27 Jan 1889 3mths 4days 13th (1887 - 1889) Standing Orders Committee No.4 3 Apr 1889 16 May 1889 1mth 14days 13th (1887 - 1889) Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Nov 1889 21 Dec 1889 25days 14th (1889 - 1891) Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 Apr 1890 3 Dec 1890 7mths 4days 14th (1889 - 1891) Standing Orders Committee No.2 26 May 1891 2 Jun 1891 8days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.2 28 Jul 1891 1 Apr 1892 8mths 5days 15th (1891 - 1894) Sydney Electric Lighting Bill Committee No.7 4 Aug 1891 26 Aug 1891 23days 15th (1891 - 1894) Goulburn Water Supply Charges Bill Committee No.25 1 Dec 1891 15 Dec 1891 15days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.5 5 Oct 1892 18 Oct 1892 14days 15th (1891 - 1894) William Stafford, ex Mounted Sergeant of Police Committee No.23 12 Apr 1893 12 May 1893 1mth 1day 15th (1891 - 1894) Working of the Government Labour Bureau Committee No.25 26 Apr 1893 2 Jun 1893 1mth 8days 15th (1891 - 1894) Standing Orders Committee No.3 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Refreshment Committee No.5 27 Sep 1893 8 Dec 1893 2mths 12days 15th (1891 - 1894) Library Committee No.4 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) Refreshment Committee No.5 23 Jan 1894 11 Jun 1894 4mths 20days 16th (1894 - 1895) Library Committee No.4 23 Jan 1894 11 Jun 1894 4mths 20days 16th (1894 - 1895) Children’s Protection Act Amendment Bill Committee No.9 20 Feb 1894 5 Jun 1894 3mths 17days 16th (1894 - 1895) Standing Orders Committee No. 2 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)

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.

Honours Received

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1892.

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]

Last modified 15/09/2008 13:30:11   :   Update this page