George Prendergast facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable George Prendergast
28th Premier of Victoria Elections: 1907, 1908, 1911, 1920, 1924, 1924
In office 18 July 1924 – 18 November 1924
Monarch	George V
Governor	Earl of Stradbroke
Preceded by	Sir Alexander Peacock
Succeeded by	John Allan
Leader of the Opposition of Victoria
In office 18 November 1924 – 14 April 1926
Premier	John Allan
Preceded by	Sir Alexander Peacock
Succeeded by	Edmond Hogan
In office 18 June 1918 – 18 July 1924
Premier	Harry Lawson Sir Alexander Peacock
Preceded by	George Elmslie
Succeeded by	Sir Alexander Peacock
In office 7 June 1904 – 17 September 1913
Premier	(Sir) Thomas Bent John Murray William Watt
Preceded by	Donald Mackinnon
Succeeded by	George Elmslie
Leader of the Labor Party in Victoria
In office 18 June 1918 – 14 April 1926
Deputy	John Billson Edmond Hogan
Preceded by	George Elmslie
Succeeded by	Edmond Hogan
In office 7 June 1904 – 17 September 1913
Deputy	George Elmslie
Preceded by	Frederick Bromley
Succeeded by	George Elmslie
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Footscray
In office 9 April 1927 – 28 August 1937
Preceded by	Seat created
Succeeded by	Jack Mullens
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for North Melbourne
In office 1 November 1900 – 4 March 1927
Preceded by	William Watt
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
In office 20 September 1894 – 14 October 1897
Preceded by	Sylvanus Reynolds
Succeeded by	William Watt
Personal details
Born	George Michael Prendergast 20 May 1854 Adelaide, South Australia
Died	28 August 1937(1937-08-28) (aged 83) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Spouse	Mary Eliza Larrad (m. 1876)
Children	3
Profession	Printer
Nickname	Mick Prendergast

George Michael "Mick" Prendergast (born May 20, 1854 – died August 28, 1937) was an important Australian politician. He served as the 28th Premier of Victoria, which is like being the leader of the state government. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Irish parents. He grew up in Stawell, Victoria.

George Prendergast started his career as a printer. He worked as a compositor, which is someone who arranges type for printing. He worked in places like Ballarat, Sydney, and Narrandera. In 1887, he settled in Melbourne. He was a member of the Typographical Association, a union for printers. He even became the President of the Melbourne Trades Hall in 1893.

George Prendergast's Political Journey

Becoming a Member of Parliament

George Prendergast was one of the first members of the Labor Party to be elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly. This is the main law-making body in Victoria. He was first elected for the area of North Melbourne in 1894.

Prendergast early in his parliamentary career.

He lost his seat in the 1897 election to William Watt, who also later became a Premier. But Prendergast won the seat back in 1900. He held this seat until 1927 when it was removed. After that, he moved to represent the area of Footscray. He continued to represent Footscray until he passed away. In total, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for 40 years!

Leading the Labor Party

In 1904, George Prendergast became the first leader of the Labor Party in the Victorian Parliament. He stepped down from this role in 1913 due to health reasons. This allowed George Elmslie to become the first Labor Premier of Victoria. Prendergast served as the Chief Secretary in Elmslie's government, which lasted only 14 days.

He returned to lead the Labor Party again in 1918. He was also the President of the North Melbourne Football Club for some time. During the 1920s, the Labor Party was not very strong in Victoria. This was because rural areas had more political power, and other parties like the Country Party and Nationalist Party were very strong.

Becoming Premier of Victoria

In April 1924, the Country Party stopped supporting the government led by Alexander Peacock. This happened because Peacock tried to pass a law that would reduce the number of representatives from rural areas. Peacock then called for an election in June.

In this election, the Labor Party won 27 seats, the Nationalists won 20, and the Country Party won 13. The Labor Party made some agreements with the Country Party. Because of this, the Country Party agreed to support a Labor government, even though Labor didn't have a majority on its own.

So, George Prendergast became Premier on July 18, 1924, at the age of 70. He was the oldest person to become Premier for the first time in Victoria's history. His government included talented people like Edmond Hogan as Minister for Agriculture and Railways, and William Slater as Attorney-General. John Cain was also an Assistant Minister.

Prendergast's Government

Prendergast's government was the first Labor government in Victoria that actually had a chance to make changes. Elmslie's earlier government had been too short. Prendergast's government quickly worked to help unemployed people in Victoria. They also set up official investigations into important issues. These included a major police strike in 1923, the prices of bread and flour, and a program to settle soldiers on farms.

His government also spent more money on rural roads. They reduced costs for train travel and freight. With the Country Party's help, they passed several laws that helped farmers. However, the Country Party would not support laws that mainly helped people in cities, who were Labor's main supporters. This made it difficult for Labor ministers. Some wanted Prendergast to call another election to try and gain more power, but he was careful and didn't want to risk it.

In November 1924, the Country Party and the Nationalists resolved their disagreements. They joined forces and voted against Prendergast's government in the Assembly. This meant Prendergast's time as Premier ended. The Country Party leader, John Allan, then became the new Premier.

Later Life and Legacy

George Prendergast stepped down as Labor Leader in 1926. Edmond Hogan took over from him. In Hogan's first government (1927–1928), Prendergast again served as Chief Secretary.

He passed away in 1937 at the age of 83. He was still a Member of Parliament when he died. His granddaughter, Kathleen Prendergast, became a famous paleontologist and doctor. She was the first woman to be a Regimental Medical Officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps. In the army, she was also known as "Mick" Prendergast, just like her grandfather.

See also

• Prendergast Ministry