George Davis (1833 – 25 August 1896) was a politician in colonial

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

, and Minister of Defence. Davis was born in

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, England, the son of William Davis, a carpet manufacturer, and Parthenia, ''née'' Potter. George emigrated to Victoria around 1850, and took a prominent part in municipal affairs in Emerald Hill, (later renamed

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

), one of the suburbs of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Subsequently, he removed to

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

and embraced pastoral pursuits, taking a keen interest in horse-breeding and racing. Davis was president of the Victorian Farmers' Union. Having unsuccessfully contested the

Electoral district of North Gippsland Gippsland North (North Gipps Land or North Gippsland until 1889) was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria located in northern Gippsland from 1859 to 1955. In 1859, the Electoral district of ...

in the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

six times from 1864 to 1886, he was returned for the

Gippsland Province Gippsland Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1882 until 2006. It was based in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Gippsland Province was created in the redistribution of provinces in 1882 wh ...

in the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

in September 1888. When the James Munro Government was reconstructed under

William Shiels William Shiels (3 December 1848 – 17 December 1904) was an Australian colonial-era politician, serving as the 16th Premier of Victoria. Biography Shiels was born in Maghera, County Londonderry, a town in the centre of Ulster in the north of ...

, Davis, who was looked on as one of the leaders of the country party in Parliament, accepted a position in the Cabinet, and was sworn in as Minister of Defence in March 1892, a position he held until 23 January 1893. Davis was a member of the Legislative Council until his death in

Caulfield, Victoria Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Caulfield recorded a population of 5,748 at the 2021 census. It is bound ...

on 25 August 1896.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, George 1833 births 1896 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Council English emigrants to Australia 19th-century Australian politicians