George Fuller (Australian politician)

Fuller was born in Kiama, New South Wales. He was the son of George Lawrence Fuller. He was educated at Kiama Public School, Sydney Grammar School and at St Andrew's College at the University of Sydney. He received a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in 1879, and a Master of Arts in 1882 from the University of Sydney. He studied law under Sir William Patrick Manning (eminent judge and university chancellor) and became a barrister in 1884.{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Sir George Warburton Fuller (1861–1940) |id=1075 |former=Yes |access-date=11 May 2019}}

Fuller served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for over 18 years. Initially he represented Kiama from 1889 to 1894, but was defeated in 1894 and again in 1898.{{cite AuDB |last=Ward |first=John M. |title =Fuller, Sir George Warburton (1861–1940) |year =2006 |id2=fuller-sir-george-warburton-6256 |access-date=30 November 2019}}

File:GeorgeFuller1900s.jpg

Fuller was the first member for Illawarra in the new Australian House of Representatives between 1901 and 1913. He was Minister for Home Affairs in 1909 and 1910 in Alfred Deakin's Commonwealth Liberal Party government and was responsible for making Canberra the national capital. In 1911 he was an Australian representative at the coronation of George V.

From 1915 to 1928 Fuller represented Wollondilly for the Liberal Party and, from 1916, the Nationalist Party. In the part of 1916 and 1917, he was a leader of New South Wales' Nationalist Party and he became Colonial Secretary (the second most important cabinet position) in 1916.

In 1917, his heavy-handed handling of a strike by rail and tramway workers against the introduction of time cards antagonised the unions and led to a general strike. His promise of higher pay and improved seniority benefits to workers returning to work split the rail unions for most of the twentieth century and the different employment conditions lasted until the Lang Government was elected. His action was seen by supporters as the decisive leadership required in wartime. In 1919, he expanded the state-owned fishing trawler fleet "to provide cheap fish for the mass of the population".

On 3 June 1919, he was appointed as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for his service as Colonial Secretary.{{Cite It's an Honour |ausawardid=1082566 |date=3 June 1919 |recipient=Hon George Warburton Fuller |award=Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (Imperial) |citation=Colonial Secretary of New South Wales |access-date=30 November 2019}}

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{{see also|Fuller ministry (1921)|Fuller ministry (1922–1925)}}

File:George Fuller - Reynolds.jpg (published 1925)]]

Labor won the 1920 election and Fuller became Leader of the Opposition. In 1921 he took advantage of the death of John Storey to defeat James Dooley's Government on a motion of no confidence and as a result was asked to form a government. But Fuller himself had to give up the Premiership after only seven hours, after losing another motion of no confidence and Dooley returned to office.

In the 1922 state election, Dooley was defeated and Fuller became Premier once again. His government began the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This time his tenure lasted till the 1925 state election, won by Labor's Jack Lang.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Shortly after Lang's victory, Fuller resigned from the Nationalist leadership in favour of Thomas Bavin. From 1928 to 1931 he was the state's Agent-General in London. He died in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.

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{{succession box | title=Member for Kiama | before=Angus Cameron | after=Alexander Campbell | years=1889{{spaced ndash}}1894}}

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{{s-ttl|title=Member for Illawarra|years=1901{{spaced ndash}}1913}}

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{{s-ttl|title= Minister for Home Affairs |years=1909{{spaced ndash}}1910}}

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{{succession box | title=Member for Wollondilly | before=Frank Badgery | after=Mark Morton | years=1915{{spaced ndash}}1928}}

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{{s-ttl |title= Colonial Secretary of New South Wales | years = 1916{{spaced ndash}}1920 }}

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{{s-ttl |title= Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales | years = 1925 }}

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Category:1861 births

Category:1940 deaths

Category:People educated at Sydney Grammar School

Category:University of Sydney alumni

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Illawarra

Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives

Category:Members of the Cabinet of Australia

Category:Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Australian federationists

Category:Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales

Category:Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

Category:Premiers of New South Wales

Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

Category:Agents-General for New South Wales

Category:Leaders of the opposition in New South Wales

Category:Treasurers of New South Wales

Category:People from Kiama, New South Wales

Category:Australian MPs 1901–1903

Category:Australian MPs 1903–1906

Category:Australian MPs 1906–1910

Category:Australian MPs 1910–1913