George Edwards (Australian politician)

George Bertrand Edwards (30 January 1855 – 4 February 1911) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of South Sydney for the Free Trade Party from 1901 to 1906 and the Division of North Sydney for the Liberal Party from 1910 until his death in 1911.

Edwards was born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania, the son of a tobacconist and was educated at Christ College. He became a journalist with the Tasmanian Tribune at the age of 20. He later managed the new Hobart office of Launceston newspaper The Examiner c. 1882–83, then in 1884 briefly went to Sydney to run the Peacock Jam Company branch there, but returned to Hobart the next year to run the Launceston office of Hobart newspaper The Mercury. He married the eldest daughter of jam magnate George Peacock in October 1885. He later worked on the general staff of The Mercury, was chief Hansard reporter for two sessions of the Federal Council of Australasia and was editor of the Mercury-owned Tasmanian Mail weekly magazine in 1888–89.

Edwards then managed the Peacock Jam Company's Melbourne branch until purchasing the company's Sydney operations in 1894, subsequently operating that business in partnership with Herbert Peacock. He also purchased 60 acres of land adjoining Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park for a house and fruitgrowing operation.