George Strickland Kingston

Politician

George Strickland Kingston was born in Ireland in 1807 and arrived in South Australia on the Cygnet in 1836. Kingston was deputy surveyor general to Colonel William Light during the primary surveys of Adelaide. He later worked as an architect. Elected to the Legislative Council in 1851, he argued for a radically democratic Constitution for South Australia, including universal manhood suffrage for both houses, and the secret ballot. Elected a member for The Burra and Clare in 1857, he was then elected the first Speaker of the House of Assembly. Kingston was knighted in 1870.