Downer family
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The Downer family has played a significant role in the South Australian and Australian political and social sphere since the early days of European settlement. Their earliest ancestors were Mary Ann Downer (1792–1868) and her son Henry Downer, a tailor (1811–1870), who travelled from England to Australia in 1862, settling in Adelaide.[1]
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| Name | Birth name | Alive | Occupation | Office | Parents | Spouse | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Downer | Henry Downer | 1811–1870 | Tailor | Jane Field | Arrived from England aboard the Eden on 24 February 1838[1][2] | ||
| George Downer | Alexander George Downer | 1839–1916 | Barrister, journalist, businessman | Henry Downer and Jane Downer (née Field) | unmarried | ||
| John Downer | John William Downer | 1843–1915 | Partner in the legal firm G & J Downer | Premier of South Australia 1885 – 1887, 1892 – 1893 | Henry Downer and Jane Downer (née Field) | Elizabeth Henderson Una Stella Haslingden Russell | Una Russell remarried in 1919, to D’Arcy Wentworth Addison.[3] |
| Henry Edward Downer | 1836–1905 | lawyer, businessman, politician | Henry Downer and Jane Downer (née Field) | Maria Martin Haggar | |||
| Alick Downer | Alexander Russell Downer | 1910–1981 | Minister for Immigration, Australian 1958 – 1963 | John William Downer and Una Stella Haslingden Downer (née Russell) | Mary Isobel Gosse | ||
| Mary Downer | Mary Isobel Gosse | 1924–2014 | James Hay Gosse and Joanna Lang Gosse (née Barr Smith) | Alick Downer | |||
| Alexander Downer | 1951 – | Minister for Foreign Affairs 1996 – 2007 | Alick Downer and Mary Downer (née Gosse) | Nicola Robinson | |||
| Georgina Downer | Georgina Mary Beatrice Downer | 1979– | Lawyer, diplomat, political adviser | Alexander Downer and Nicola Rosemary "Nicky" Downer (née Robinson) | Will Heath | Contested the 2018 Mayo by-election and the 2019 Australian federal election[4] as the endorsed Liberal candidate, in both cases unsuccessfully. |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Downer, Alick (2012). The Downers of South Australia (PDF). Wakefield Press. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ Naval Tailor Fathers a Political Dynasty: Henry DOWNER (1811‐1870) & Jane FIELD (1806‐1861), The Pioneers Association of South Australia Inc. Archived 29 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 13 March 2016
- ^ "Interesting Weddings". Sunday Times. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 2 March 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Georgina Downer secures Liberal preselection for Mayo six weeks after by-election defeat". ABC News. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.