George Cooper (23 June 1793 – 7 April 1867) was a customs official and government administrator in Ireland, England, Australia and New Zealand. He was the first Colonial Treasurer and head of

Customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

of New Zealand.

Biography

Cooper was born in

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, Ireland, in 1793. He started work in 1816 as a customs agent for Ireland and England. He emigrated to

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, arriving

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

on 12 October 1836 aboard the ''Hoogley'' with his wife and children. Later that month he was officially appointed Comptroller and Landing Surveyor in the Department of Customs for the colony. In NSW, he also became Superintendent of Distilleries. He built, or leased, Waterview House, the first house in Balmain, and bought 50 acres of surrounding land on the Balmain Peninsula. He got into financial difficulties in the 1840 depression and became insolvent. He was appointed Colonial Treasurer and Collector of Customs for New Zealand on 5 January 1840. Later that month he moved to the Bay of Islands in the north of New Zealand, arriving aboard with William Hobson and other officials (including Willoughby Shortland and Felton Mathew). His annual salary was £600, the same as it was in Sydney. He was a witness and signatory to the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

. When the General Legislative Council was formed in May 1841, Cooper became a member due to his role as treasurer. In May 1842, he resigned from his position as Colonial Treasurer and returned to Sydney. Cooper was later secretary and treasurer to the Shire of Ballan west of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

from 1863 till 1867. His health deteriorated for the last two years of his life. He died in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

, Victoria, on 7 April 1867, at the home of his son-in-law. His son, George Sisson Cooper, had a long career in the New Zealand civil service; from 1870 to 1892, he was Under-Secretary for the colony.

Legacy

Cooper was a beekeeper and was one of the first who tried to establish honeybees in New Zealand. Fellow beekeeper, William Cotton, noted that Cooper arrived in Auckland in October 1842 with a hive of bees "seemingly dead" after a stormy ten-day passage from Sydney. There is a Cooper Street in Balmain on part of the land he once owned.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, George 1793 births 1867 deaths New Zealand public servants People from Auckland Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853) Australian beekeepers Australian public servants 19th-century Australian businesspeople Riddiford family