George Frederick McWilliams (10 November 1865 – 12 February 1907) was an Australian medical doctor,

military surgeon ''Military Medicine'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of medicine in military settings. It is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. It was est ...

, and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly 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 ...

from 1901 to 1904, representing the seat of North Perth.

Early life

McWilliams was born near

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, ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, to Anne (née Toohey) and Wilson McWilliams. He was sent to school in England, but returned to Australia to study at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, graduating with a medical degree ( M.B.) in 1888. McWilliams left for Western Australia later that year, initially practising medicine in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. He later spent time in the

North-West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

, working for periods as a

pearler Pearl hunting, also known as pearling, is the activity of recovering pearls from wild molluscs, usually oysters or mussels, in the sea or freshwater. Pearl hunting was prevalent in the Persian Gulf region and Japan for thousands of years. On the ...

and a stockman, before moving 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 ...

to establish his own practice. With

Mathieson Jacoby Mathieson Harry Jacoby (1 July 1869 – 3 April 1915) was an Australian politician who twice represented the seat of Swan in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, from 1901 to 1905 and then again from 1908 to 1911. He was Speaker of t ...

, McWilliams helped to found the state branch of the

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

, and served as the inaugural president.George Frederick McWilliams
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2016.

Military and political service

During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

, McWilliams volunteered with the West Australian Mounted Infantry, serving as the contingent's chief medical officer. He began the war with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, and was subsequently promoted

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and then lieutenant-colonel, returning to Australia in late 1900. McWilliams entered parliament at the 1901 North Perth by-election, which had been caused by the death of Richard Speight after only a few months in office. In April 1902, McWilliams was selected to represent Australia at the coronation of Edward VII in London, as the leader of the contingent from Western Australia. He returned to Australia in October 1902, but did not recontest his seat at the 1904 state election.

Later life

After leaving parliament, McWilliams was appointed to the board of the Perth Hospital. Unmarried, he died in Perth in February 1907, aged 41, from complications of

gastroenteritis Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhea and gastro, is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract including the stomach and intestine. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever, lack of energy, and dehydra ...

. He was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

with full military honours, with the service conducted by the Bishop of Perth,

Charles Riley Charles Owen Leaver Riley (26 May 1854 – 23 June 1929) was the first Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Western Australia. Early years Riley was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, the eldest child of the Reverend Lawrence William Riley, ...

."THE LATE COL. MCWILLIAMS."
''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'', 14 February 1907.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McWilliams, George 1865 births 1907 deaths Australian military doctors Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Infectious disease deaths in Western Australia Deaths from gastroenteritis Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Geelong University of Melbourne alumni 19th-century Australian politicians Australian stockmen