George Harker (1816 – 25 April 1879) was a businessman and 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 ...

, a member of 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 ...

. Harker was born in

Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales and ...

Nidderdale Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales (although outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park) in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows south underground and then ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England, the son of Robert Harker and his wife Nancy, ''née'' Richardson. After education at local schools, Harker was at the age of thirteen apprenticed to a chemist at

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

. On the termination of his apprenticeship he was for some time dispensing assistant to a surgeon at

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, and subsequently carried on business as a chemist at Prescot, near

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, where he was treasurer of the local

Anti-Corn Law League The Anti-Corn Law League was a successful political movement in Great Britain aimed at the abolition of the unpopular Corn Laws, which protected landowners’ interests by levying taxes on imported wheat, thus raising the price of bread at a time ...

. He married early in 1845, and left England for Victoria at the end of that year, arriving in February 1846. He bought property on the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, (Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stre ...

which he farmed until 1850, when he started as a grain and produce merchant in Melbourne. In 1856 Harker retired from business, and was returned to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Collingwood in November 1856. He was

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

in the second

John O'Shanassy Sir John O'Shanassy, KCMG (18 February 1818 – 5 May 1883), was an Irish-Australian politician who served as the 2nd Premier of Victoria. O'Shanassy was born near Thurles in County Tipperary, Ireland, the son of a surveyor, and came to the Por ...

Ministry from 10 March 1858 to 27 October 1859, when he resigned with his colleagues. At the general election in August 1859, he was defeated at Collingwood, but was returned for

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...

. In March 1860, Harker resigned his Maldon seat and revisited England, where he remained for two years. On his return he was re-elected for Collingwood in November 1864, which he represented until December 1865 and again from April 1871 to March 1874. Harker held many important public positions, including being the founding director of the Collingwood Gas Company, and died suddenly on 5 April 1879 in Melbourne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harker, George 1816 births 1879 deaths People from Pateley Bridge Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Treasurers of Victoria English emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian politicians