Alexander Crow McGeorge (4 August 1868 – 14 January 1953) was a New Zealand engineer and gold dredging entrepreneur, contributing to the

Otago gold rush The Otago Gold Rush (often called the Central Otago Gold Rush) was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area – ...

of the 1890s.

Biography

McGeorge was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

on 4 August 1868 to Scottish parents, James McGeorge and Isabella Crow. McGeorge, along with his brothers John Crow and Joseph founded the Electric Gold Dredging Company in 1895, one of the most successful gold-dredging companies in New Zealand. McGeorge's mother, Isabella Crow, and sister, Jane, were both signatories of the

1893 Women's Suffrage Petition The 1893 women's suffrage petition was the third of three petitions to the New Zealand Government in support of women's suffrage and resulted in the Electoral Act 1893, which gave women the right to vote in the 1893 general election. The 1893 ...

. The McGeorge brothers' most famous gold dredge was the ''Lady Ranfurly'', named by the

governor of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and l ...

of the day,

Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly Uchter John Mark Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly (14 August 1856 – 1 October 1933), was a British politician and colonial governor. He was Governor of New Zealand from 1897 to 1904. Early life Lord Ranfurly was born into an Ulster-Scots aristocrat ...

, after his own wife on a visit to

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

on 12 March 1898. Alex McGeorge died in

Karitane The small town of Karitane is located within the limits of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand, 35 kilometres to the north of the city centre. Set in rolling country near the mouth of the Waikouaiti River, the town is a popular holiday retreat ...

on 14 January 1953.

Relations

New Zealand entrepreneur Jeremy Moon is a great-grandson of McGeorge.

References

1868 births 1953 deaths Engineers from Dunedin 19th-century New Zealand engineers 19th-century New Zealand businesspeople Colony of New Zealand people {{NewZealand-bio-stub