LAURENSON, GEORGE (1857-1913) was born in Edinburgh, and educated at a private school in the Shetland Islands. He served for a short time in the office of a ship chandler in Glasgow before coming to New Zealand with his parents in 1876. Here he studied for the civil service, but took employment with R. Forbes and Co., ships' store merchants at Lyttelton, and eventually became a partner. He retired in 1906.

Laurenson was a member of the Lyttelton borough council, and chairman of the school committee and the harbour board. In 1899 he won the Lyttelton parliamentary seat as an independent Liberal. For some years he gave a general support to the Seddon Government, but about 1905, with T. E. Taylor, H. D. Bedford and F. M. B. Fisher, he withdrew to form an independent wing known as the New Liberals. He was Minister of Marine, Labour and Customs in the Mackenzie Government of 1912, but thereafter was a private member till his death (on 19 Nov 1913). Laurenson was deeply interested in social movements, and devoted much time to temperance reform, the sailors' home in Lyttelton, and the Boys Gordon club (from which the Gordon Hall in Christchurch sprang). He was an elder of St Paul's Presbyterian Church in Christchurch, and of St John's in Lyttelton, and was associated with Sunday school work for a long period. He was also chief of the Scottish society, took much interest in the development and beautifying of Lyttelton and was a keen yachtsman, owning the Fleetwing.

N.Z.P.D., 19 Nov 1913; Lyttelton Times and The Press, 20 Nov 1913.

Reference: Volume 1, page 260

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