John George Bice

Bice was born in Callington, Cornwall, the son of Samuel Sandoe Bice (died 1903), a mining captain who was brought out to South Australia in 1864 to work for the Wallaroo and Moonta Mining Company, and for whom he worked for more than 50 years.

Young John began his working life in the Moonta mines, improving his education at night school.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37182468 |title=Birthday Honors |newspaper=The Advertiser |location=Adelaide |date=2 June 1923 |accessdate=14 October 2014 |page=13 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} He was soon indentured as a blacksmith's apprentice, and qualified as a tradesman. In 1876 he took over a machinist's business at Wilmington (then called "Beautiful Valley") owned by the Trewenack brothers of Port Augusta. In 1880 he and W. H. Trewenack took over John Trewenack's blacksmith and wheelwright's business in Port Augusta and prospered.

Bice was for eight years a member of the Corporate Town of Port Augusta council, and was mayor from 1888 to 1889.{{cite book | chapter-url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bice-sir-john-george-5229 | title=Sir John George Bice | chapter=Sir John George Bice (1853–1923) | publisher=Australian Dictionary of Biography | accessdate=29 January 2016}} In 1894 he was elected to represent the Northern District in the Legislative Council. In 1897 he was appointed to the Pastoral Commission, and in 1908 joined the Price-Peake administration as Minister for the Northern Territory and Minister of Water Supply. He held those portfolios until 30 December, when after the death of Tom Price he became Chief Secretary and Minister of Industry in the first Peake Administration. He held that office until 3 June 1910. Mr. Peake again returned to power on 17 February 1912, and Bice was Chief Secretary for the term of that Ministry, which lasted until 3 April 1915, when Vaughan Government came to power. On 14 July 1917, when Peake again assumed office, Bice was given the portfolios of Commissioner of Public Works, Minister of Mines, and Minister of Marine. He also took up the post of Chief Secretary.{{Cite SA-parl|pid=4066|name=Sir John George Bice KCMG|former=yes|access-date=10 November 2022}} From 1920 he was Chief Secretary and Minister of Marine; his Ministerial career extended over a longer period than almost any other Minister.

He was made KCMG in 1923.

He was on the board of governors of the Botanic Garden from 1896 and on the council of the School of Mines and Industries from 1898.Maryanne McGill, [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bice-sir-john-george-5229/text8801 'Bice, Sir John George (1853–1923)'], Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 14 October 2014

He was a bibliophile, bookbinder, and fisherman. His favorite South Australian spots were Port Noarlunga and Kangaroo Island.

He married Elizabeth Jane Trewenack in 1875. They had a home "Norleybank" at Beaumont, then moved to 37 Bishop's Place Kensington. Her parents were lost in the sinking of the steamship Gambier on 23 August 1891.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91569590 |title=Mr. and Mrs. Trewenack. |newspaper=South Australian Chronicle |location=Adelaide |date=5 September 1891 |accessdate=14 October 2014 |page=9 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

He died of double pneumonia at a private hospital in Adelaide. He had been a pipe smoker for 50 years. He had two daughters and a son, who survived him, John Leonard Sandoe Bice, who served on the Legislative Council from 1941 to 1959. His other son, Frederick William Bice, was a metallurgist who was accidentally killed 16 July 1906 at the Blinman Mines, SA, where he was employed as an assayer. Frederick's daughter (that is John George Bice's granddaughter), Doreen Bice, executed the fine oil painting of the Rapid held by the South Australian Maritime Museum after a watercolor sketch by William Light.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106678965 |title=Painting by Col. Light |newspaper=Daily Herald |location=Adelaide |date=25 September 1922 |accessdate=9 June 2015 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

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{{s-bef | before=David Drysdale}}

{{s-ttl | title=Mayor of Port Augusta | years=1887–1889 }}

{{s-aft | after=C. E. Robertson}}

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{{s-bef | before=William Copley}}

{{s-ttl | title=Member for Northern District | years=1894–1923 | alongside=Darling Sr., Campbell, Ward, Tennant,
Duncan, Addison, Howe, Morrow, Lewis}}

{{s-aft | after=Percy Blesing
William George Mills}}

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{{s-bef | before= Frederick Samuel Wallis }}

{{s-ttl | title=Chief Secretary | years= 1909{{spaced ndash}}1910}}

{{s-aft|after=Frederick Samuel Wallis}}

{{s-bef | before= Frederick Samuel Wallis }}

{{s-ttl | title=Chief Secretary | years= 1912{{spaced ndash}}1915}}

{{s-aft|after=Alfred William Styles}}

{{s-bef | before= Harry Jackson }}

{{s-ttl | title=Commissioner of Public Works | years= 1917{{spaced ndash}}1919 }}

{{s-aft|after=George Ritchie}}

{{s-bef | before= Archibald Peake }}

{{s-ttl | title=Chief Secretary | years= 1919{{spaced ndash}}1923}}

{{s-aft|after=Thomas Pascoe}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bice, John George}}

Category:1853 births

Category:1923 deaths

Category:Members of the South Australian Legislative Council

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

Category:People from Callington, Cornwall

Category:Australian people of Cornish descent

Category:British emigrants to the Colony of South Australia