George Hall (Australian politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Hall, M.L.C., (2 March 1811 – 28 January 1867) often styled "Captain Hall", was a South Australian shipping agent, company director and politician.
He was born at Bromley, Kent and left school at an early age to become a merchant seaman, and later captained ships on the East Indian and West Indian trade routes. His involvement with the South Australian Company began when David McLaren, manager of the South Australian Company, controversially contracted him to transport goods for the Company from Singapore to Port Adelaide in the "Guiana",[1] becoming, on 7 October 1840,[2] the first to unload goods at the new wharf.
In 1844 he returned to South Australia on the "Taglioni",[3] and started a business salt-curing beef using a setup of his own design.[4] He worked for a time on a cattle property near Angaston then set up a shipping business in Port Adelaide; the ships he represented included "David Malcolm", "Punch" and "Velocity".[5]
He was on the committee of the South Australian Railway Company[6] which in 1849 amalgamated with the Adelaide City and Port Railway Company[7] and subsequently folded.[8] It would appear the shareholders lost their money.[9]
He was on the committee of the Chamber of Commerce from its first AGM in 1851[10] to 1860 and chairman 1856 – 57[11]
He was a director on the board of several mining companies, notably, from 1851, the South Australian Mining Association, owners of the Burra Burra mine.[12] He was founder (with J. C. Verco, Philip Santo, F. H. Faulding and a few others) of the Kurilla mine near Wallaroo, purchased in 1863.[13]
He was a founder, with Henry Ayers, F. H. Faulding and a dozen others in 1861, of the South Australian Gas Company.[14]
Politics
In July, 1851 he was elected to the South Australia's first parliament for the district of Port Adelaide, his opponent being William Giles, manager of the South Australian Company. He submitted his resignation in July 1853[15][16] around the same time as that of J. T. Bagot, forcing the prorogation of parliament, and travelled to Great Britain, returning in August 1854.[17]
In March 1857 he was elected to the newly formed Legislative Council, and remained a member until his death.[15]
