Person

Swinburne, George (1861 - 1928)

Born
3 February 1861
Paradise, England
Died
4 September 1928
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Business executive, Engineer, Politician and Philanthropist

Summary

George Swinburne MInstCE was manager of the Melbourne Hydraulic Power Co. 1887-1897 and managing director 1898-1911. He was Minister of Water Supply for Victoria 1904-1908 and Agriculture 1905-1908. In 1919-1925 he was a foundation member of the State Electricity Commission. He founded the Swinburne Technical College in 1908.

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Details

Educated at Royal Grammar School, Newcastle and night school, engineering; apprenticed to J. Williamson and Co., chemical merchants 1874, clerk 1880-82; joined gas and mechanical engineering firm of uncle John Coates at London, partner from 1885; followed uncle to Melbourne 1886; manager Melbourne Hydraulic Power Co. 1887-97, managing director 1898-1911, chairman Australasian board 1911-13; director of a number of companies. Member Inter-State Commission 1913-17, CSIR 1916-20; chairman of committee controlling capital issue 1915-17, Board of Business Administration, Defence Department 1917-19; member Military Board 1919-20, Note Issue Board 1920-22; Victorian SEC commissioner 1919-25. Founder of Eastern Suburbs (later Swinburne) Technical College, president 1908-28. MLA for Hawthorn October 1902-July 1913 (resigned), Minister of Water Supply April 1904-October 1908 (resigned over land tax bill), Minister of Agriculture November 1904-October 1908. ); MLC for East Yarra Province June-September 1928 (deceased).

Chronology

1871 - 1875
Education - Royal Grammar School, Newcastle-on-Tyne
1875 - 1881
Career position - Engineer-in-training, J. C. Williamson & Co.
1881 - 1886
Career position - Engineer-in-training, John Abbot & Co, John Coates, R. Dempster & Co.
1884 -
Career position - Partnership, John Coates & Co.
1886
Life event - Emigrated to Australia
1886 - 1896
Career position - Engineer, in partnership with John Coates, Australia
1887
Career event - Member (MVIE), Victorian Institute of Engineers
1896 - 1913
Career position - Engineer, Colonial Gas Association
1896 - 1913
Career position - Engineer, Sydney Hydraulic Company
1896 - 1913
Career position - Chairman / Adviser, Broken Hill Water Supply
1896 - 1913
Career position - Director, Metropolitan Gas Company
1896 - 1913
Career position - Chairman, Johns & Waygood Ltd
1896 - 1913
Career position - Engineer, Melbourne Hydraulic Company
1 Dec 1896
Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers
1897
Career event - Member (MIMechE), Institution of Mechanical Engineers
1902 - 1913
Career position - Politician, Member for Hawthorn, Victorian State Parliament
1904 - 1908
Career position - Minister of Water Supply & Agriculture, Victorian State Parliament
1908
Life event - Resigned from Cabinet, due to ill-health
1913 -
Career position - Inter-State Commissioner of Australia
10 Mar 1914
Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers

Subordinate

  • Green, Frederick William (1885 - 1968)

    George Swinburne, as Swinburne Technical College President, appointed Fred Green as Head of Engineering Department 1912; Proposed Fred Green nomination for AssocMInstCE 1920.

Related People

Published resources

Books

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • Churchyard, J. N., 'Pioneers of Irrigation in Victoria, Number 6. George Swinburne. Engineer and Legislator', Aqua: Official Journal of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, Victoria, 8 (6) (1957), 123-126. Details
  • Swinburne, George; Whitehead, C. A.; and Anderson, Joshua Thomas Noble, 'Note on mechanical filtration and gravitation filtration (Paper & Discussion)', Proceedings of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, 3 (1903), 69-103. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/24285. Details

Resources

See also

  • Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_s.html. Details
  • Engineers Australia ed., Wonders never cease: 100 Australian engineering achievements (Barton, Australian Capital Territory: Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2019), 236 pp. p.26. Details
  • Engineers Australia ed., Anything is possible: 100 Australian engineering leaders (Barton, A.C.T.: Institution of Engineers Australia, 2019), 136 pp. 'An Education Benefactor - George Swinburne' p.100. Details
  • Serle, Percival, Dictionary of Australian biography (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1949). Details

Rosanne Walker

Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 23 March 2022

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