FOWLDS, SIR GEORGE (1860-1934) was born at Fenwick, Ayrshire, the son of Matthew Fowlds, a handloom weaver who lived to the age of 101. As a boy George worked at the loom making linen sheets and on his father's farm. At the age of 12 he left the Hairshaw School in Waterside village and was apprenticed to a clothier in Kilmarnock. Four years later he joined the staff of a soft goods house in Glasgow, where he was able at night to attend the Andersonian College.

In 1882 Fowlds went to South Africa, where his first job was with a stone mason laying kerbstones in Cape Town. Later he cleaned railway carriages, and then went to Beaufort West, where he got a position as book-keeper in a general store at Bullfontein. In 1884 he married Mary Ann Fulton, of Fenwick, and, the climate not suiting her health, they left for New Zealand (1885). In Auckland Fowlds worked as a general labourer until finding a post as salesman in a mercery store. In 1886 he purchased a small business in Victoria Street. Two years later he bought the stock and fixtures of a bankrupt clothier in Victoria Arcade, and laid the foundations of his business. Being joined by his son in 1905 he was thus enabled to devote more time to public affairs and social movements in which he was interested. He had already been a member of the school committee and the Mount Albert road board.

A Liberal in politics, Fowlds stood for the Auckland seat in 1896 without success, but in 1899 was returned (with Witheford and Napier) for Auckland City, which he represented till 1902. In that year he was elected for Grey Lynn, which was his constituency till 1911. After the death of Seddon Fowlds was invited to join the Ward cabinet, in which he administered with zeal and success the departments of Education and Public Health. He also during the administration of Ward, had charge of the portfolios of Customs, Defence, Justice, Hospitals and State Fire Insurance. In 1910 he represented the Dominion at the opening of the Union Parliament of South Africa. In Sep 1911, discontented with what he regarded as the negative Liberalism of the Government, Fowlds resigned from the cabinet, feeling that he could do better for the country out of office. Standing as a Social Democrat in the ensuing general election, he was defeated by J. Payne (the Government candidate), and again at the election of 1914. His last effort to re-enter the popular chamber was in 1919. Fowlds favoured freetrade, the elective executive and the referendum and was a strong supporter of single tax, in the interests of which he ran a small paper for many years. He had a passionate love of education. He was chairman of Auckland University College for 13 years and was largely responsible for the foundation of Massey College, of which he was chairman from its inception in 1927 till his death. He was a member also of the senate of the University of New Zealand.

In religious life Fowlds was a mainstay of the Beresford Street Congregational Church and was twice president of the Congregational Union of New Zealand. He was devoted to the cause of temperance, being twice a vice-president of the New Zealand Alliance and president of the Auckland executive. As a freemason he was provincial grandmaster for Auckland in 1894-95 and deputy-grandmaster for New Zealand in 1896. He was also a prominent Rotarian, being one of the founders of the organisation in New Zealand and its first president. Other movements in which he was actively interested were the Workers' Educational Association, the Red Cross Society, the St John Ambulance Association (he was a Knight of Grace); the Costley Home, the Boy Scouts Association, the Orphans Club and Burns Club; the New Zealand Land Values League and Proportional Representation Society. He received the C.B.E. for work in connection with the war of 1914-18 and was knighted in 1928.

N.Z.P.D.; J. K. Fairlie, Matthew Fowlds and other Fenwick Worthies (1910); N.Z. Draper, 30 Nov 1921 (p); N.Z. University minutes; Who's Who N.Z., 1908, 1932; Evening Post, 17 Aug 1934. Portrait: Parliament House.

Reference: Volume 1, page 152

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