George Powell Barnes (20 September 1856 – 9 December 1949), generally referred to by his full name or as "George P. Barnes",
[Most likely to distinguish him in newspaper reports from his contemporary, the prominent British parliamentarian George Barnes.] was a Queensland businessman and politician.
Early life
George was a son of Cobb and Co. pioneer
Hiram Barnes
Hiram Barnes (19 October 1832 – 24 April 1917) was a Queensland businessman, born in Beckley, Sussex, noted for his association with Cobb and Co.
History
He came to Australia as a boy with his parents on the ''Duchess of Northumberland'', ...
and a brother of
Walter Barnes MLA.
Business interests
George Barnes started the company Barnes and Company Limited in 1880 in association with his brother,
Walter Henry Barnes
Walter Henry Barnes (7 September 1858 – 19 February 1933) was a longtime member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Early years
Barnes was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, a son of Hiram Barnes, who took his family to Queensland when he wa ...
and Mr TF Merry. Merry was a storekeeper in
Toowoomba, with whom George worked earlier and whose daughter, Mary Cecelia was married to George in 1879. Barnes and Co was formed to control businesses in Warwick,
Allora
Allora is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Allora had a population of 1,223 people.
Geography
Allora is on the Darling Downs in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, by ro ...
,
Yangan and Roma Street and Commonwealth Flour Mills at
Warwick and
South Brisbane.
He was a leading figure in the Warwick Methodist Church and the Warwick Ambulance Brigade.
Politics
He was member for
Warwick for 27 years, from 1908 to 1935, when he retired.
Family
He married Mary Cecilia Merry (ca.1858 – 3 October 1942) of
Bulimba, Queensland in 1879. She was active in the local Methodist Church, Red Cross Society and Benevolent Society; they had a home "Glen Lyn" in
Warwick.
A son,
Franklin George Barnes (ca.1883 – ) was a mining engineer who devised and patented a method for
degaussing British ships to counter the threat of
magnetic mines in the early days of World War II.
Another son, Cecil Merry Barnes, lost his life savings when his company, Barnes Ltd. of
Fortitude Valley was forced into liquidation. G. P. Barnes felt his son's failure acutely, and personally paid out the company's
preference shareholders.
Legacy
The former
Barnes and Co. Trading Place
Barnes and Co. Trading Place is a heritage-listed former department store at 118 Palmerin Street, Warwick, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Wallace & Gibson and built from 1910 to 1911 by M Ivory. It is also kn ...
in Warwick is listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register.
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Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Walter
Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Australian businesspeople
1856 births
1949 deaths
National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland