George Billson was born on 12 January 1817 in
Lincolnshire, England. His father was Joseph Billson, a surveryor, and his mother was Elizabeth Billson Antil. In 1842, he travelled to New Zealand for a year, after which he visited Sydney and
Valparaíso and returned to England. In 1848, he moved to Adelaide for two years. He spent 1850 to 1852 as a miner in the
California gold rush. After that, he moved to
Bendigo and worked as a storekeeper. He supported
Graham Berry's
liberal government. but was defeated at the
July 1880 election. He won the seat at the
1883 Victorian colonial election and subsequently held the seat until his death. He died at his house in Beechworth on 9 February 1886, aged 69, from an ongoing heart disease. He had three sons and two daughters, including Alfred. A letter of condolences from MPs was signed by 24 liberal members of the Legislative Assembly, including future Prime Minister
Alfred Deakin and former Premier
Graham Berry. His son Alfred later represented the
Electoral district of Ovens from 1904 to 1927. ==References==