Hon. George Rolfe (1808 – 18 December 1871) M.L.C., was a merchant and politician in the Colony of

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 ...

(a state of Australia since 1901).

Early life

Rolfe was born in 1808 in

Tenterden Tenterden is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the remnant forest the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother. It was a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. Its riverside today is not ...

, Kent, where his father was a prosperous landholder. George became a merchant in London and, after that business failed, he emigrated to South Australia in 1848, arriving in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 24 June 1849. He started a partnership in real estate with P. D. Prankerd, which was dissolved in May 1851. He moved to Victoria, arriving in May 1854, and was the founder of one of the leading mercantile firms in Melbourne, Victoria of that time.

Political career

On 2 September 1869, Rolfe was appointed Commissioner of Customs in the second

McCulloch McCulloch is a Scottish surnames, Scottish surname. It's a variation of the Northern Irish surname McCullough. It's commonly found in Galloway. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan McCulloch (politician), New Zealand politician *Alan ...

Government, despite the fact that he was not then a member of either House of Parliament. Robert Byrne moved a motion in the Assembly a few days later, censuring the Premier for having gone outside the House for a colleague. The motion was carried and the Ministry resigned on 20 September. Byrne then became Treasurer in the MacPherson Government, but, on going back to his constituents at Crowlands for re-election following his appointment, was defeated by Rolfe on 5 October 1869. Rolfe had previously been a member of the Legislative Council for North Western Province, from May 1860 to October 1862, and a member for

South Western Province South Western Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It was one of the six original upper house Provinces of the bi-cameral Victorian Parliament created in November 1856, initially it had five members. Victoria was a ...

January 1867 to March 1867.

Legacy

Rolfe was a director of the

National Bank of Australia The National Bank of Australasia was a bank based in Melbourne. It was established in 1858, and in 1982 merged with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney to form National Australia Bank. History In 1858, Alexander Gibb, a Melbourne gentleman ...

, and was a significant contributor to the foundation of the

Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original site ...

. He was married three times, and had four children from his first marriage. He lived in

Balaclava, Victoria Balaclava is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. Balaclava recorded a population of 5,392 at the 2021 c ...

and died there on 18 December 1871.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolfe, George 1808 births 1871 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Politicians from Melbourne People from Tenterden 19th-century Australian politicians English emigrants to colonial Australia 19th-century Australian businesspeople