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George Thornton
George Thornton
	Thornton in 1860
10th Mayor of Sydney
	In office; 1857–1857
Preceded by	Daniel Egan
Succeeded by	John Williams
Personal details
Born	23 December 1819; Sydney, Australia
Died	23 November 1901 (aged 81); Parramatta, Australia

George Thornton (23 December 1819 – 23 November 1901) was an Australian merchant and politician, serving as a Sydney Municipal Council Alderman, Mayor of Sydney and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Thornton was born in Sydney, the son of Samuel Thornton (son of another Samuel, a woollen manufacturer of Barnsley, Yorkshire) and Sarah (née Madden). Sarah was transported to Australia as a punishment for larceny; Samuel followed, arriving in Sydney in 1814 as a free settler, and was granted land by the colonial government. As a young man he had considerable contact with Aboriginal people, and late in life recorded the pronunciation and meaning of many Aboriginal placenames.^[1]

Thornton was educated at the Australian College on Jamieson Street, Sydney; he went into work as a custom-house and ship agent, later becoming an import merchant. Having been a magistrate in Sydney for many years, Thornton served also as a director of various financial institutions such as the City Bank Of Sydney. He was elected to the Sydney Municipal Council in November 1847, and served as mayor in 1853 and 1857.^[2] Thornton was elected as a member for Sydney City from 1858 to 1859. In May 1861 he was appointed to the Legislative Council when Governor Young agreed to flood the council in support of John Robertson's land bills, but this was frustrated when the President of the Council, Sir William Burton refused to swear in the new members and resigned with others forcing the proroguing of the Council. He represented Goldfields West in 1867 and 1868. In 1877 he was appointed for life to the Council and was served as the Secretary for Mines and the Representative of Government for a month in 1885.^[3]

Thornton was the foundation President of the Sydney Rowing Club and was instrumental in the club's formation and growth from 1870 until his death.^[4] He served as President of the New South Wales Rowing Association from 1879 till his death.

Thornton died of dysentery in 1901 at Parramatta, survived by his wife, Mary Ann (daughter of John Solomon, of Sydney) and daughter Frances; he was predeceased by a son and a daughter.^[2]^[5]

Legacy

The Hyde Park Obelisk, erected during Thornton's mayorship, is jokingly referred to as Thornton's Scent Bottle.^[6]

References

^ "Aboriginal Names of Places". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 18, 106. New South Wales, Australia. 28 March 1896. p. 7. Retrieved 19 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ^a ^b Rutledge, Martha (1974). "Thornton, George (1819 - 1901)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
^ "Mr George Thornton (1819-1901)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
^ "A History of the Sydney Rowing Club". Archived from the original on 29 December 2012. SRC History
^ A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Colonial Gentry, Sir Bernard Burke, Harrison & Sons, 1891, vol. I, pg 282
^ Home Page :: Sydney Media :: City of Sydney, The Sweet Smell Of Success - Hyde Park Obelisk Celebrates 150 Years Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, 19 February 2008.

Parliament of New South Wales
Political offices
Preceded by Francis Wright	Secretary for Mines November – December 1885	Succeeded by Robert Vaughn
Preceded by James Farnell	Representative of the Government in the Legislative Council November – December 1885	Succeeded by George Simpson
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Robert Campbell Charles Cowper James Wilshire William Dalley	Member for Sydney City 1858–1859 With: Robert Campbell Charles Cowper Robert Tooth	District abolished
Preceded by Stephen Donnelly	Member for Goldfields West 1867–1868	Succeeded by Walter Church
Civic offices
Dormant Title last held by Daniel Egan	Mayor of Sydney 1857	Succeeded by John Williams