Sir George bought 480 acres of land from Sir Henry Parkes, at Faulconbridge, in 1881. He was the member for Glebe 1869–1883 and head of the Justice Department from 1873 until 1875. Wigram Road, Faulconbridge is named for him.
He married Marian, the eldest daughter of Reverend W. B. Boyce, and in 1847, he was admitted as a solicitor in the firm of Allen, Allen & Hemsley. There was speculation about him being one of the earliest millionaires of Sydney but at the time of his death his estate was sworn at only £300,000.
In 1863 he was Secretary, and on the Board of Directors of what later became the Bank of NSW. Other notables on the board were Thomas Buckland, James Henderson, Robert Towns, William Walker and Frederick Tooth. The Sands Directory for 1875 listed Sir George as the Vice President of the Savings Bank of NSW. He was also mentioned as being the President of Mutual Benefit No.1 together with Michael Chapman JP. Chapman, who was a Springwood resident, was serving as a director with Randolph Nott, secretary.
In 1875, when Sir Henry Parkes was defeated, Sir George was elected as Speaker by a majority of just one vote. His opponents accused him of having over sixty relatives in the public service, an accusation that was possibly true. He was knighted in 1877 and died in 1885, survived by his wife, six sons and four daughters.
Ref:
The Making Of A Mountain Community: A Biographical Dictionary of the Springwood District, Springwood Historians.
Blue Mountains City Council local studies collection vertical and image files.
