The Renfrewshire-born Prime Minister of Australia who became its first High Commissioner in London.
George Houstoun Reid was born at Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on 25 February 1845, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and emigrated with his family to New South Wales as a boy. He trained in commerce and then in law, was called to the bar, and entered colonial politics, rising to become Premier of New South Wales from 1894 to 1899.
He was a central figure in the long campaign for Australian federation, leading the colony of New South Wales through the conventions and referendums that brought the Commonwealth of Australia into being in 1901. He entered the first federal Parliament as a foundation member.
He served as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia in 1904 and 1905 and was for many years the leading parliamentary voice of free trade in the new nation, one of the defining arguments of its early political life.
In 1910 he was appointed the first High Commissioner of Australia in London, effectively the country's founding representative to the United Kingdom, a post he held through the opening years of the First World War, and he later sat in the House of Commons at Westminster.
The Reid name is an old Scots surname, from reid, the red, given to the ruddy or red-haired. George Reid carried it from a Renfrewshire manse to the premiership of Australia and to its first embassy abroad.
Achievements
·Prime Minister of Australia, 1904 to 1905
·Premier of New South Wales, 1894 to 1899
·A leading architect of Australian federation
·Foundation member of the first federal Parliament of Australia, 1901
·First High Commissioner of Australia in London, from 1910
Frequently asked
What is George Reid famous for?
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The Renfrewshire-born Prime Minister of Australia who became its first High Commissioner in London. George Houstoun Reid was born at Johnstone in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on 25 February 1845, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and emigrated with his family to New South Wales as a boy.
When was George Reid born?
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George Reid was born in 1845 in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The full biographical record sits on the dedicated page on Clan Rising, set alongside the wider history of the Reid family.
When did George Reid die?
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George Reid died in 1918. That gave a lifespan of about 73 years.
How long did George Reid live?
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George Reid lived for around 73 years, from in 1845 to in 1918. The page records the substantive years in full, with the achievements and the geography that frame the life.
Where was George Reid born?
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George Reid was born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in Scotland. The atlas links the birthplace to its tile page so the surrounding geography and other families of the area can be explored from the same record.
What is George Reid's connection to the Reid family?
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George Reid is recorded on Clan Rising as a Reid Family Champion, a figure whose life is inseparable from the surname. The Reid family page sets the wider context for the name and links through to every other notable bearer.
What did George Reid achieve?
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Headline achievements recorded for George Reid include Prime Minister of Australia, 1904 to 1905, Premier of New South Wales, 1894 to 1899, A leading architect of Australian federation and Foundation member of the first federal Parliament of Australia, 1901. The full list and the surrounding biographical record sit on the dedicated champion page.
Was George Reid a Reid?
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Yes. George Reid is filed on Clan Rising under the Reid family. The naming convention follows the surname a diaspora reader would search for today; titles, particles and pen names sort under that same canonical surname.