People Australia

George Rutter (1859-1939) stonemason, seaman and trade union leader

Birth: 23 October 1859 in Newport, Shropshire, England, son of James Rutter, stonemason, and Elizabeth, née Allman. Marriage: 30 June 1887 in Sydney with Congregational forms to Margaret Bell (1867-1928), born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. They had three sons and one daughter. Death: 29 July 1939 in Hurstville, Sydney, New South Wales. Religion: Anglican.

• Apprenticed to a stonemason in England. Joined local union in 1876. Moved to New Zealand in 1880.
• Arrived in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1883. Moved to NSW in 1885. A skilled craftsman, he found work immediately on the Catholic Cardinal’s palace at Manly. Worked on Government House and many of the public buildings of the University of Sydney.
• Joined Operative Stonemasons Society in 1890 and held office in numerous capacities thereafter. Representative on the Eight-hour demonstration committee and elected director of sports.
• A foundation member of the Political Labor League of NSW, he held office as returning officer and was active in the election of Labor’s first State and Federal members of parliament.
• Executive member of NSW Trades Hall Association from 1890 and representative of stonemasons.
• Secretary of the NSW Trades Hall Association from 1896 until his death.
• In 1907 Mrs Rutter was appointed Trades and Industrial Hall council representative on the Queen’s Jubilee Fund council.
• Cause of death: cardiac asthma.

Sources
Northern Standard, 1 August 1939 p.12; Labor Daily (Sydney), 13 January 1927; Official Souvenir for the 8-hr demonstration 1900 p 31.