George Glyde (1821 – 24 January 1898) was an early settler of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. He arrived in the colony as a child in 1830, and became a prominent merchant and businessman. Glyde was chairman of the Perth Town Council (the equivalent of mayor) from 1869 to 1873. He later served three terms as a nominated member of Legislative Council, from 1874 to 1879, from 1882 to 1885, and from 1892 to 1894.

Early life and business career

Glyde was born in

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somer ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England, to Susannah (née Hallet) and William Glyde. He and his parents arrived in Western Australia in 1830, travelling aboard ''Rockingham'' (one of

Thomas Peel Thomas Peel (1793 – 22 December 1865)Alexandra Hasluck,, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Vol. 2, MUP, 1967, pp 320-322. retrieved 2009-11-04 organised and lead a consortium of the first British settlers to Western Australia. He was ...

's ships). They initially lived in Peel's settlement,

Clarence Clarence may refer to: Places Australia * Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division * Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow * Clarence River (New South Wales) * Clarence Strait (Northern Territory) * City of Clarence, a l ...

, but that failed after a few years and they moved north to

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

and then to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. In 1841, Glyde began working for

Lionel Samson Lionel Samson (1799-15 March 1878) was an early Swan River Colony settler and businessman whose firm, Lionel Samson & Son, is the second oldest continuing family business in Australia. It is likely his father was Michael Samson, "a member of one o ...

's company in

. He eventually went into business on his own, running a general store and

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...

's shop. He also helped to found Perth's first

building society A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending. Building societies exist in the United Kingdo ...

, serving as a director from 1862 and as president from 1875.George Glyde
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2016.

Politics and later life

In 1867, Glyde was elected to the Perth Town Council. He served as chairman (the equivalent of

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

) from 1869 to 1873, and was in office when the

Perth Town Hall The Perth Town Hall, situated on the corner of Hay and Barrack streets in Perth, Western Australia, is the only town hall built by convicts in Australia. Upon completion it was the tallest structure in Perth. History Designed by Richard Roach ...

was opened in 1870. In June 1874, Glyde was nominated to the Legislative Council by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Frederick Weld Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld (9 May 1823 – 20 July 1891), was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the List of Prime Ministers of New Zealand, sixth Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier of New Zealand, ...

. He resigned in October 1879, but was later reappointed for two further terms, serving from July 1882 to July 1885 and again from March 1892 to June 1894. Glyde died at his home on

Adelaide Terrace Adelaide Terrace is a major arterial road through the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River, linking St Georges Terrace with The Causeway. Route description Adelaide Terrace's eastern end is ...

, Perth, in January 1898."DEATH OF MR. G. GLYDE, SEN., J.P."
''The West Australian'', 25 January 1898. He had married Alice Draper in 1843, with whom he had five sons and six daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glyde, George 1821 births 1898 deaths Australian merchants English emigrants to colonial Australia Mayors and Lord Mayors of Perth, Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Yeovil Settlers of Western Australia 19th-century Australian businesspeople 19th-century Australian politicians

Early life and business career

Politics and later life

See also

References