George Wise (Australian politician)

George Wise
The Honourable; George Wise
Postmaster-General of Australia
	In office; 3 February 1920 – 21 December 1921
Prime Minister	Billy Hughes
Preceded by	William Webster
Succeeded by	Alexander Poynton
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Gippsland
	In office; 5 September 1914 – 16 December 1922
Preceded by	James Bennett
Succeeded by	Thomas Paterson
	In office; 12 December 1906 – 31 May 1913
Preceded by	Allan McLean
Succeeded by	James Bennett
Personal details
Born	1 July 1853; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	31 July 1950 (aged 97); Sale, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Protectionist (1906–09); Independent (1909–17); Nationalist (1917–22);
Spouse(s)	Mary Thornton
Occupation	Lawyer

George Henry Wise (1 July 1853 – 31 July 1950) was an Australian politician. He held the Division of Gippsland in federal parliament (1906–1913, 1914–1922) and served as Postmaster-General (1920–1921) under Prime Minister Billy Hughes. He was a lawyer by profession.

Early life

Wise was born in Melbourne and educated at Scotch College from the age of five until he matriculated in 1868. He became an articled clerk and was admitted to the bar in September 1874, setting up his own practice in Sale in 1877. He married Mary Thornton (née Smith) in 1880.

He was a member of Sale Borough Council from 1880 to 1904 and was mayor six times. He established the Sale branch of the Australian Natives' Association (ANA) in 1886 and became president of the Victorian branch of the ANA in 1891.[1]

Political career

Wise in 1917

Wise was a strong supporter of the federation of Australia, and stood unsuccessfully for election to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1892, 1894 and 1904. He also failed win election to the Australian Senate in both the 1901 election and 1903 election, but won the House of Representatives seat of Gippsland at the 1906 election as a Protectionist, defeating the sitting member, Allan McLean, by 97 votes. Wise could not accept the creation of the Fusion in 1909 and stood as an independent in 1910, gaining 62 percent of the vote against the Fusion candidate. Subsequently, he often supported the Australian Labor Party, but did not join it. Fusion candidate James Bennett beat him at the 1913 election, but Wise won Gippsland back in 1914, standing as an "Independent Labor" candidate.[1]

Wise joined the Nationalist Party of Australia in 1916, thus reuniting him with many of his former Protectionist colleagues. He was easily re-elected in 1917. Prime Minister Billy Hughes appointed him an honorary minister assisting the Minister for Defence from March 1918 to February 1920. He was Postmaster-General from February 1920 in the Fifth Hughes Ministry, but lost his position in the reshuffle when Stanley Bruce was brought into the ministry in December 1921. He was almost defeated in 1919 by a candidate from the newly formed the Country Party, and lost to the Country Party candidate, Thomas Paterson, in 1922. Wise failed to win the seat back in 1925 and 1928.[1]

Later life

He continued to practice as a solicitor until 1948 and died in Sale in 1950, survived by three daughters and a son.[1]

References

Hancock, I. R. (1990). "Wise, George Henry (1853–1950)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 16 November 2007 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.

Political offices
Preceded by William Webster	Postmaster-General 1920–1921	Succeeded by Alexander Poynton
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Allan McLean	Member for Gippsland 1906–1913	Succeeded by James Bennett
Preceded by James Bennett	Member for Gippsland 1914–1922	Succeeded by Thomas Paterson

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[adb-1] Hancock, I. R. (1990). "Wise, George Henry (1853–1950)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 16 November 2007 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.