George Foster Pearce was born on 14 January 1870 at Mount Barker, South Australia. The fifth of eleven children of James Pearce (a blacksmith) and his wife Jane, George Pearce was educated at Red Hill Public School, South Australia. He left school at the age of 11 and became a farm boy, but was later apprenticed to a carpenter for five years. In 1891, he moved to Perth and also spent some time on the goldfields. During this period, Pearce joined the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, helped to establish the first Trades and Labour Council in Western Australia and campaigned for Federation.

Pearce was one of six Senators from Western Australia elected to the first Commonwealth Parliament in 1901. He remained a Senator until his defeat at the October 1937 elections, representing the Australian Labor Party (as a free trader) until 1917, then as a Nationalist and, from 1931, as a member of the United Australia Party. By the time he left federal Parliament, he had also been a Minister for 25 years and was the only remaining original Senator.

In the early period of his Parliamentary career, Pearce was a member of the Select Committee on Steamship Communications between Australia and Tasmania (1901), a member of the Select Committee on Old Age Pensions (1904) and related Royal Commission (1905-06), Chairman of Committees (1907-08), Chairman of the Royal Commission on Tobacco Monopoly (1905-06) and a member of the related Select Committee (1908), and Chairman of the Select Committee on Press Cable Service (1909).

Pearce's most significant portfolio was as Minister for Defence in the first, second and third Fisher Ministries (1908-09, 1910-13, 1914-15) and subsequent Hughes Ministries (1915-21). In this capacity, he was responsible for the purchase of three destroyers in 1909 for the fledgling Royal Australian Navy, the introduction of compulsory military training in 1911, the establishment of the Point Cook flying school in 1912 and the organisation and despatch of the Australian Imperial Force for overseas service during World War I. He was also a member of the Council for Defence and Australian delegate to the 1911 Imperial Conference in London. In 1916, Pearce was Acting Prime Minister for seven months in the absence of W M Hughes. He supported Hughes' conscription campaigns.

In 1919, Pearce visited Britain in relation to the repatriation of Australian servicemen and represented Australia as a signatory to the Peace Treaty with Austria at St Germains. He also represented Australia at the Washington Disarmament Conference (1921-22).

In the Bruce-Page Government, Pearce became Minister for Home and Territories (1921-26) and Vice President of the Federal Executive Council (1926-29). During this period he was closely associated with immigration, Northern Territory matters, the development of Canberra and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He also led the Australian delegation to the League of Nations Assembly in Geneva (1927). During the Scullin Government he was Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (1929-31) and, in the Lyons Government, Minister for Defence again (1932-34), Minister for External Affairs and Minister in Charge of Territories (1934-37).

During World War II, Pearce was a member of the Commonwealth Grants Commission (1939-44) and Chairman of the Defence Board of Business Administration (1940-47). He held the latter position until the Board ceased to function.  

Sir George Pearce was made a member of the Privy Council (PC) in 1921, a Commander of the Legion of Honour in 1924 and a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1927. Although a Senator for Western Australia, he lived mainly in Melbourne throughout his political career and died there in 1952. His autobiography 'Carpenter to Cabinet' had been published the previous year (London, Hutchinson, 1951).


Sources:

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 11 (1891-1939), pp 177-182
Commonwealth Parliamentary Handbook 1901-1920, p 245; 1935, pp 148-149
Federal Guide 1921, p 30; 1936, p 35; 1943, pp 14, 109; 1944, pp 13, 120
Hasluck, Paul, The Government and the People, 1939-1941, pp 446-448
Who's Who in Australia 1950, p 567

Summary heading

  Rt Hon Sir George Pearce (CP 151)

Unregistered links

1900                : Federal League, Western Australia – Member of the Executive

1901                : Select Committee on Steamship Communication between Australia and Tasmania – Member

1904                : Select Committee on Old Age Pensions – Member

1908                : Select Committee on Tobacco Monopoly – Member

1909                : Select Committee on Press Cable Service – Chairman

1911                : Imperial Conference, London – Australian Delegate

1919                : Peace Treaty with Austria, St Germains – Australian Representative

1921-1922       : Disarmament Conference, Washington – Australian Representative

Sep 1927         : League of Nations Assembly, Geneva – Leader of Australian Delegation