John George Davies
Encyclopedia
Sir John George Davies CMG
(17 February 1846 - 12 November 1913) was a Tasmania
n politician, newspaper proprietor and first-class cricket
er.
Davies' Jewish father John Snr.
and grandfather had been transported
to Australia
as convicts and Davies was born in Melbourne to John Snr. and Elizabeth Davies (née Ellis) following Davies Snr's release.
The Davies family moved to Tasmania where Davies Snr co-founded the Hobart Mercury
and became a prominent citizen of Hobart
, including serving in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
.
Davies and his brother Charles were educated at Melbourne Grammar School
and The Hutchins School
in Hobart, where he showed great promise as a sportsman.
Davies made his first-class cricket debut, for Tasmania against Victoria
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
on 24 February 1871. Davies captained Tasmania, opened the batting and kept wicket. He was the only batsman from either side to reach double figures in each innings.
Due to work pressures and the small amount of matches Tasmania were involved in, Davies only played seven first-class matches, with a highest score of 42, made against Canterbury in February 1884, and best bowling figures of two wickets for no runs against South Australia
in November 1877.
Davies' final first-class match was in 1884 but continued to be heavily involved in cricket, founding the Southern Tasmanian Cricket Association and serving as a senior administrator for many years, writing on cricket for the Tasmanian Mail as well as umpiring, including one first-class match, Tasmania against Victoria in 1890.
Davies final major cricket match was in February 1899, when, aged 52, he captained the Southern Tasmania Cricket Association against the touring New Zealanders. In a team including Test
players Charles Eady
and Kenny Burn, Davies made 65.
Davies was also involved in other sports, including Australian rules football
, where he served as a senior administrator, horse racing (as an owner) and rifle shooting, holding office in Tasmanian and national rifle associations for many years, culminating in his captaining of the Australian team which won the Kolapore Cup at Bisley, England
, in 1902.
of Hobart City Council in 1883, and first served as mayor of Hobart in 1885. A justice of the peace
, Davies served three terms as mayor before his retirement in 1901. He was in charge of the Tasmanian industrial court at the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition of 1888, and was honorary commissioner for Tasmania at the 1889 Paris Exhibition. Chief magistrate of Hobart in the 1890s, he was appointed first chairman of the Metropolitan Drainage Board in 1899 and was also for many years chairman of the Public Cemetery Trust and of the Hobart Licensing Bench.
Politically conservative, Davies was first elected to the Electoral district of Fingal
in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
on 27 August 1884, and was still serving in parliament at his death, switching to in the newly formed division of Denison
in 1909.
In parliament, Davies was chairman of committees from 1892 to 1903 and Speaker from 1903 to his death in 1913.
He was appointed C.M.G. on 17 May 1901 in recognition of his service as Mayor of the City of Hobart and was knighted on 25 June 1909 for his services as Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
, on 19 November 1891 at New Town. Together they had two sons.
Davies was a leading member of Tasmanian society, becoming deputy grand master of Tasmanian Freemasons in 1896 and made past grand master in 1910, as well as being a member of the Royal Society of Tasmania and serving in the Tasmanian Rifle Regiment for over thirty years, reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Davies died of kidney disease on 12 November 1913 at New Town. He was buried alongside his brother at Cornelian Bay cemetery.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(17 February 1846 - 12 November 1913) was a Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n politician, newspaper proprietor and first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
er.
Davies' Jewish father John Snr.
John Davies (publisher)
John Davies co-founded the Australian newspaper The Mercury.Davies was a Jew born in London. He was transported to Hobart, Australia as a convict in August 1831, for ordering candles on someone else's account...
and grandfather had been transported
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as convicts and Davies was born in Melbourne to John Snr. and Elizabeth Davies (née Ellis) following Davies Snr's release.
The Davies family moved to Tasmania where Davies Snr co-founded the Hobart Mercury
The Mercury (Hobart)
The Mercury is a daily newspaper, published in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, by Davies Brothers Pty Ltd, part of News Limited and News Corporation...
and became a prominent citizen of Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, including serving in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
.
Davies and his brother Charles were educated at Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and The Hutchins School
The Hutchins School
The Hutchins School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Sandy Bay, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia....
in Hobart, where he showed great promise as a sportsman.
Sporting career
Davies' cricketing skills led him to play against the touring H.H. Stephenson's English side in 1862, aged 16, scoring six. He continued to represent Tasmania in non-first-class matches throughout the 1860s.Davies made his first-class cricket debut, for Tasmania against Victoria
Victorian Bushrangers
The Victorian cricket team, nicknamed the Bushrangers, is an Australian cricket team based in Melbourne, that represents the state of Victoria. It is administered by Cricket Victoria and draws its players from Melbourne's Premier Cricket competition...
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
on 24 February 1871. Davies captained Tasmania, opened the batting and kept wicket. He was the only batsman from either side to reach double figures in each innings.
Due to work pressures and the small amount of matches Tasmania were involved in, Davies only played seven first-class matches, with a highest score of 42, made against Canterbury in February 1884, and best bowling figures of two wickets for no runs against South Australia
Southern Redbacks
The South Australia cricket team, nicknamed the Southern Redbacks and known as the West End Redbacks due to their sponsorship agreement with local brewers West End, are an Australian first class cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia, and represent the state of South Australia...
in November 1877.
Davies' final first-class match was in 1884 but continued to be heavily involved in cricket, founding the Southern Tasmanian Cricket Association and serving as a senior administrator for many years, writing on cricket for the Tasmanian Mail as well as umpiring, including one first-class match, Tasmania against Victoria in 1890.
Davies final major cricket match was in February 1899, when, aged 52, he captained the Southern Tasmania Cricket Association against the touring New Zealanders. In a team including Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
players Charles Eady
Charles Eady
Charles John Eady was a cricketer who played for Tasmanian clubs and representative sides in the era before Tasmania was accepted into the Sheffield Shield and other competitions...
and Kenny Burn, Davies made 65.
Davies was also involved in other sports, including Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, where he served as a senior administrator, horse racing (as an owner) and rifle shooting, holding office in Tasmanian and national rifle associations for many years, culminating in his captaining of the Australian team which won the Kolapore Cup at Bisley, England
Bisley, Surrey
Bisley is a large village in Surrey, England, which is notable for rifle shooting. Bisley's immediate neighbours are West End, Chobham and Knaphill.- History :...
, in 1902.
Business career
After leaving school, Davies trained as a journalist at The Mercury, eventually becoming general manager. In 1871 Davies and his brother took over the company from their father and established The Mercury as Tasmania's preeminent newspaper and started the weekly Tasmanian Mail in 1877.Politics
Davies was elected as an aldermanAlderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Hobart City Council in 1883, and first served as mayor of Hobart in 1885. A justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, Davies served three terms as mayor before his retirement in 1901. He was in charge of the Tasmanian industrial court at the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition of 1888, and was honorary commissioner for Tasmania at the 1889 Paris Exhibition. Chief magistrate of Hobart in the 1890s, he was appointed first chairman of the Metropolitan Drainage Board in 1899 and was also for many years chairman of the Public Cemetery Trust and of the Hobart Licensing Bench.
Politically conservative, Davies was first elected to the Electoral district of Fingal
Electoral district of Fingal
The Electoral district of Fingal was a single-member electoral district of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. It was based around Fingal in Tasmania's east and also included the coastal towns of St Marys and St Helens, and inland districts such as Avoca and Mathinna.The seat was created ahead of the...
in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
on 27 August 1884, and was still serving in parliament at his death, switching to in the newly formed division of Denison
Division of Denison (state)
The Electoral Division of Denison is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The division is named after Sir William Denison, who was Lieutenant Governor of Van_Diemen's Land 1847-55, and Governor of New South Wales 1855-61. The division shares its name and boundaries with the...
in 1909.
In parliament, Davies was chairman of committees from 1892 to 1903 and Speaker from 1903 to his death in 1913.
He was appointed C.M.G. on 17 May 1901 in recognition of his service as Mayor of the City of Hobart and was knighted on 25 June 1909 for his services as Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
Personal life
Davies married twice, the first to Sarah Ann Pearce on 27 January 1869 at St John's Church of England, New Town, with whom he had seven children. Following Sarah's death in 1888, Davies married Constance Charlotte Giblin, sister of William GiblinWilliam Giblin
William Robert Giblin was Premier of Tasmania from 5 March 1878 until 20 December 1878 and from 1879 until 1884.-Early life:...
, on 19 November 1891 at New Town. Together they had two sons.
Davies was a leading member of Tasmanian society, becoming deputy grand master of Tasmanian Freemasons in 1896 and made past grand master in 1910, as well as being a member of the Royal Society of Tasmania and serving in the Tasmanian Rifle Regiment for over thirty years, reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Davies died of kidney disease on 12 November 1913 at New Town. He was buried alongside his brother at Cornelian Bay cemetery.