22 Facts About George Randell

George Randell was an Australian businessman and politician.

George Randell served intermittently in the Parliament of Western Australia between 1875 and 1910, including as a minister in the government of Sir John Forrest.

George Randell was elected to the Perth City Council in 1870, and then to the colony's Legislative Council in 1875, where he served until 1878.

George Randell returned to the Legislative Council in 1880, as an appointee of the governor.

In 1890, George Randell won election to the seat of Moore in the newly created Legislative Assembly.

George Randell resigned in 1892 and was re-appointed to the Legislative Council the following year, but re-entered the Legislative Assembly at the 1894 election, winning the seat of Perth.

George Randell had left the Legislative Assembly again in 1897 to return to the Legislative Council, where he remained until his retirement in 1910.

George Randell was educated in Milton, learning blacksmithing and engineering, and by 1850 was a blacksmith in the village.

George Randell married Jane Hyde on 8 April 1850, and 19 days later, they sailed to Western Australia aboard the Sophia, arriving on 27 July 1850.

George Randell married Mary Louise Smith at Trinity Church, Perth, on 14 October 1869.

George Randell became a significant political figure in Western Australia, serving in various capacities for almost 40 years.

George Randell was known for his attention to detail and his cautious and conciliatory nature, and served on many select committees and Royal Commissions.

George Randell subsequently won a by-election for the Legislative Council's seat of Perth on 25 January 1875.

George Randell sold the service, resigned his seat on the Legislative Council on 1 May 1878, and returned to England.

George Randell returned to Perth two years later, and on 5 July 1880 was appointed to a nominative seat on the Legislative Council by the Governor, and became a member of the Central Board of Education.

George Randell served as Chairman of Committees in the Legislative Assembly from 20 January 1891 until 4 July 1892, when he resigned his seat.

George Randell was not happy with the compromise, and set up a National Education League to oppose state aid, arguing that supporting both systems with government funds was an obstacle to the creation of an efficient education system in Western Australia.

George Randell became Leader of the Opposition at the first parliamentary sitting on 31 July 1894.

George Randell believed the Government had taken the hint and would gradually move in the right direction.

However, George Randell was unhappy with the tactics used, and resigned the leadership to Leake, and ultimately joined the Forrest party along with other erstwhile opponents.

George Randell did not contest Perth at the 1897 elections, but on 28 May 1897 he won a Metropolitan Province seat in the Legislative Council at a by-election, which he was to hold for 13 years.

George Randell died in Havelock Street, West Perth, on 2 June 1915, and was buried in the Congregational section of Karrakatta Cemetery.