George Lumsden (12 March 1815 – 11 February 1904) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician.

Biography

Lumsden was born in

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, Scotland, in 1815. He learned the trade of watchmaker from his uncle at

Pittenweem Pittenweem ( ) is a fishing village and civil parish in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,747. Etymology The name derives from Pictish and Scottish Gaelic. "Pit-" represents Pictish ''pett'' 'pl ...

. Lumsden and his wife Christina (née Anderson, married 1842) emigrated to

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

, Australia, in 1858 on the ''Ravenseraig''. He joined the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

, but returned to his watchmakers shop in Geelong. In 1861, they moved to

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

. He was

Mayor of Invercargill The Mayor of Invercargill is the head of the municipal government of Invercargill, New Zealand, and leads the Invercargill City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First-past-the-post voting, First Past the Post electoral system every ...

in 1873–1874 and again in 1878–1879. He represented the

electorate in Parliament from

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

to 1878, when he resigned, as absence from his jewellery shop was affecting his business. The Lumsdens had eight children. Their son Thomas James Lumsden was born in 1854.

References

1815 births 1904 deaths Burials at Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Otago Provincial Council Members of the Southland Provincial Council Invercargill City Councillors Mayors of Invercargill New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1871 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians {{NewZealand-mayor-stub