George Thornton (23 December 1819 – 23 November 1901) was an Australian merchant and politician, serving as a Sydney Municipal Council Alderman,

Mayor of Sydney The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Sydney is the head of the Council of the City of Sydney, which is the local government area covering the central business district of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Lord Mayor has be ...

and member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...

and

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

. Thornton was born in Sydney, the son of Samuel Thornton (son of another Samuel, a woollen manufacturer of

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

) 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. 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. 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 John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to: Politicians United Kingdom politicians *J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918 *John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926), ...

'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 The position of Secretary for Mines was an office in the United Kingdom Government, associated with the Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for ...

and the Representative of Government for a month in 1885. Thornton was the foundation President of the

Sydney Rowing Club Sydney Rowing Club is the oldest rowing club in New South Wales, Australia formed in 1870. It has occupied its current site on Port Jackson's Parramatta River at Abbotsford, New South Wales, Abbotsford Point since 1874. The club has a focus on it ...

and was instrumental in the club's formation and growth from 1870 until his death. He served as President of the New South Wales Rowing Association from 1879 till his death. Thornton died of

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

in 1901 at

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

, survived by his wife, Mary Ann (daughter of John Solomon, of Sydney) and daughter Frances; he was predeceased by a son and a daughter.

Legacy

The Hyde Park Obelisk, erected during Thornton's mayorship, is jokingly referred to as Thornton's Scent Bottle.Home Page :: Sydney Media :: City of Sydney

The Sweet Smell Of Success - Hyde Park Obelisk Celebrates 150 Years
'', 19 February 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, George Mayors and lord mayors of Sydney Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council 1819 births 1901 deaths Colony of New South Wales politicians Mayors of Woollahra