People Australia

George Jones, n.d.

George Alfred Jones (1867-1938) printer, trade union official and parliamentarian

Birth: 29 January 1867 at Wellingrove, Glen Innes, New South Wales, son of Robert Bevan Jones (1837-1929), a schoolmaster, born at Calcutta, India, and native-born Helen (Ellen), née Moore (1849-1939). Marriage: 1888 at Surry Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, to native-born Frances Louisa Durnford (1865-1929). They had two sons (one of whom died in infancy) and one daughter. Death: 8 April 1938 at Bondi, Sydney. Religion: Anglican. 

• Spent childhood on farm.
• Learnt compositing trade on Inverell Dispatch. Joined Typographical Association about 1886. President of the Typographical Association from 1897 to 1901.
• Union representative to Intercolonial Conference, Melbourne. President of the Printing Trades Federal Council. President of the NSW Trades and Labor Council.
• General secretary (unpaid) of the Political Labor League from about 1898 to 1902, successor was John Grant, later senator. Member of the Labor central executive 1903 to 1905. Delegate to federal Conference 1900.
• Elected member of the NSW Legislative Assembly for Inverell at a by-election in 1902. Member for seat of Gwydir from 1904 until defeated in 1913.
• Had interest in Moree News from 1905 to 1913. Moved to Sydney in 1902 and worked on Globe and Sunday Times with Australian Star.
• Established estate agency in Sydney in partnership with J. P. Osborne, without much success in 1912 and declared insolvent in 1914. Started printing press in 1913. Again insolvent in 1932.
• Appointed Justice of the Peace in 1904. Was a Teetotaller and Freemason. A prominent member of the Petersham, Cronulla, and Victoria Park bowling clubs.

Sources
Heather Radi, Peter Spearritt & Elizabeth Hinton, (eds) Biographical Register of the NSW Parliament 1901-1970 (Canberra, 1979); ‘Official Souvenir for the 8-hour Demonstration’, 1900.