George Bertrand Edwards (30 January 1855 – 4 February 1911) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

representing the

Division of South Sydney The Division of South Sydney was an Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives, Australian Electoral Division in the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales. It was located in the south of the city of Sydney. T ...

for the

Free Trade Party The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states, was an Australian political party, formally organised in 1887 in New South Wales, ...

from 1901 to 1906 and the Division of North Sydney for the Liberal Party from 1910 until his death in 1911. Edwards was born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania, the son of a tobacconist and was educated at Christ College. He became a journalist with the Tasmanian Tribune at the age of 20. He later managed the new Hobart office of Launceston newspaper '' The Examiner'' 1882-83, then in 1884 briefly went to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to run the Peacock Jam Company branch there, but returned to Hobart the next year to run the Launceston office of Hobart newspaper ''

The Mercury Mercury most commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * M ...

''. He married the eldest daughter of jam magnate

George Peacock George Peacock FRS (9 April 1791 – 8 November 1858) was an English mathematician and Anglican cleric. He founded what has been called the British algebra of logic. Early life Peacock was born on 9 April 1791 at Thornton Hall, Denton, nea ...

in October 1885. He later worked on the general staff of ''The Mercury'', was chief ''Hansard'' reporter for two sessions of the

Federal Council of Australasia The Federal Council of Australasia was a forerunner to the current Commonwealth of Australia, though its structure and members were different. The final (and successful) push for the Federal Council came at a "Convention" on 28 November 1883, whic ...

and was editor of the Mercury-owned ''Tasmanian Mail'' weekly magazine in 1888-89. Edwards then managed the Peacock Jam Company's

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 ...

branch until purchasing the company's Sydney operations in 1894, subsequently operating that business in partnership with Herbert Peacock. He also purchased 60 acres of land adjoining

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, sout ...

for a house and fruitgrowing operation. He was a supporter of free trade policies and an unsuccessful Free Trade candidate at the 1898 election. In 1901, he contested the first federal election as the

Free Trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

candidate for South Sydney, and won, defeating state Labor leader James McGowen. His platform included support for a White Australia policy and a federal old age pension. In parliament, Edwards chaired the Decimal Coinage Commission and was a member of the Royal Commission on Navigation. Edwards was an early supporter of

decimalisation Decimalisation or decimalization (see spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by powers of 10. Most countries have decimalised their currencies, converting them from non-decimal ...

and metrification, and moved several motions calling on Australia to adopt the metric system and a decimal currency. He retired at the 1906 election due to a mix of health concerns and business commitments. Peacock & Co (Edwards' Sydney operation) amalgamated with two other major jam manufacturers to form Henry Jones' Co-operative, Ltd. (later Henry Jones IXL) in early 1910, and later that year he returned to the House of Representatives as the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member for North Sydney. Edwards was killed when an

acetylene Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure ...

gasometer A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressu ...

exploded at his property in Turramurra on 4 February 1911. A mechanic named John Graham was also killed in the explosion, which was overheard by Edwards' daughter Annie. The explosion destroyed the brick structure in which the gasometer was housed, and the victims' bodies were found some distance from the gasometer, both with severe head injuries. A coronial inquiry returned a verdict of accidental death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, George Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for South Sydney Members of the Australian House of Representatives for North Sydney Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1855 births 1911 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians Accidental deaths in New South Wales Industrial accident deaths Politicians from Hobart Deaths from explosion