George P. Harris

Harris left England on the ship Candahar for South Australia in 1848, arriving at Port Adelaide in February 1849.[lower-alpha 1]

It is likely that Harris was born in Guernsey, Channel Islands, and may have married Adelina Bienvenu (11 Dec 1812 – 7 June 1887) of Saint Peter Port and had a child George Honey Harris (c. June 1844 – 9 April 1932). If so, they did not accompany him to Australia.

Fellow-passengers included his business partner John Charles Lanyon, but also George Scarfe, who would years later be a partner, but whether he was known to the others is open to conjecture. Scarfe was not an emigrant at this stage; he would make a second voyage on the Frances Henty some four years later and their famous partnership a few years later still.

Lanyon and Harris's first shipments arrived within a month and they set up shop as ironmongers at 43 Hindley Street opposite the "Black Bull" hotel.[2] Their partnership was dissolved in March 1855,[3] and Lanyon left South Australia by the barque Iris for London, where he started in business as a purchasing agent, servicing Harris and other Australian merchants.

In 1864 Harris established a second store at Gawler Place,[4] while Scotsman William Fraser and another employee, George Scarfe, ran the Hindley Street business[5] as Scarfe & Fraser. They began selling off stock at discounted prices in March 1866[6] and the partnership was dissolved in August of that year, when it was revealed Harris had been a silent partner.[7] Harris and Scarfe formed the partnership George P. Harris, Scarfe, & Co. in December 1866,[8] at 58-60 Gawler Place, midway between Rundle and Grenfell streets, much later the site of Allan's music store. Around that time Richard Smith, their diligent salesman, was made a partner and their managing director.

Harris and family left Adelaide by SS Balclutha on 14 January 1867,[9] for Melbourne, and thence to London. He died six years later at "Castle House", Shooter's Hill, London.[10]

• He was prominent in the 1864 establishment of the Jubilee Wesleyan Methodist church in Kent Town,[11] and a dedicated worshipper and supporter. He funded the purchase[12] of its first pipe organ.[13] opened 24 October 1873.[14] He was a Circuit Steward of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.[15]
• He served as Alderman for the Robe ward of Adelaide City Council for the year 1860 but resigned the following year.[16]
• He was in 1866 a director of the Bank of Adelaide and one of five Adelaide directors of the English, Scottish & Australian Bank (with Henry Ayers, Thomas Magarey, Robert Barr Smith and T. G. Waterhouse.
• He was a founding director of the South Australian Gas Company with Ayers, Arthur Blyth, Thomas Graves, and George Young.
• He was also a generous supporter of Prince Alfred College,[17] which was founded in 1869 by the Methodist church as a school for sons of well-to-do Protestants.

A memorial plaque bearing his name was installed in the Wesleyan Jubilee Church, Kent Town.[18]

Harris married Caroline Fisher ( – 27 March 1920), sister of Daniel Fisher, at North Adelaide on 14 November 1854. They had two children:

• Louisa Caroline Harris (30 August 1855 – 1 May 1895)
• George Stanley Harris (21 June 1860 – )