Obituaries Australia

George Henderson, by T. Humphrey & Co, 1908

National Library of Australia, 23366345

Mr. George Henderson, who represented Western Australia in the Senate in the interests of the Labour Party from 1904 until the split on the conscription  issue, and from then until his defeat in 1922 as a supporter of the Hughes administration, died at Ryde, New South Wales, on January 14, at the age of 71. The late Mr. Henderson was born at Rothesay, Scotland, and went to work as a pony boy in a Northumberland coal mine. He migrated to Australia in 1885, and became general secretary of the Miners' Union at Illawarra, New South Wales, in 1891. Resigning the position in 1899, he removed to Collie, where, after a year as manager of the Wallsend mine, he became general secretary of the Collie Miners' Union, a position he held until he was elected to the Senate. Mr. Henderson served one term as chairman of Committees in the Senate, and, after the conscription split, had a term as a member of the Public Works Committee. His wife died about 20 years ago. He is survived by a married daughter in New South Wales.