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George Dankel

South Australian politician (1864–1926)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionApr 7, 2026
Entity authorityQ5538374
Source-derived summary

George Casper Adolph Maria Prosper Dankel (6 March 1864 – 31 May 1926) was one of the first members of the Australian House of Representatives who was not of ancestral origin to the areas of the United Kingdom in the 19th century. He was born in the Duchy of Brunswick, which a few years after his birth became part of the German Empire and, given the social tensions generated by World War I, it is understandable he chose to retire in the 1917 election. He was a member for the Division of Boothby in South Australia from 1913 until 1917. Prior to that, he was a state MP in the seat of Torrens from 1905 to 1912. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party, switching to the Nationalist Party of Australia in 1917.

Dankel left the German Empire for Australia at the age of 15, primarily to avoid military service. He worked in the country for several years before settling in Kensington and opening a butcher shop. He served on the district council and was a foundation member of the Australian Labor Party. He was elected as a member for Torrens in 1905, 1906 and 1910, but was defeated in 1912. In 1913, he defeated the sitting Liberal member, David Gordon, to be elected as the member for Boothby, and was re-elected in 1914.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “George Dankel” as south Australian politician (1864–1926). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around George, Dankel and South.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1864, 1926, 1917, 1913—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1864-03-06. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with George, Dankel and South providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “George Dankel”, the useful work is to connect “south Australian politician (1864–1926)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5538374. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1864, 1926, 1917 and 1913.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
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Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “George Dankel”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow George Dankel primary sources, George Dankel archive and George research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from George Dankel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.