Samuel Mauger

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Portrait of Mauger circa 1910.
Portrait of Mauger circa 1910.

Samuel Mauger (prounounced Major) (12 November 1857 – 26 June 1936) was an Australian social reformer, hat manufacturing unionist and a Protectionist politician.

Son of immigrants from Guernsey, Channel Islands (Samuel Mauger Senior and Caroline Liz-Mauger who migrated to Australia in the 1850s), Mauger was born in Geelong, Victoria and was educated in the Geelong National School, but left school early to become a hat maker, because of his father's rheumatic fever. Mauger later owned the hat manufacturing business. Mauger was a Bible class teacher at St Mark's Church of England in Fitzroy. He later became the Sunday-school superintendent at St Paul's Congregational Church in North Fitzroy. In May 1880, Mauger married Hanna Rice and had four sons and four daughters.

Mauger held various memberships to various organisations. He was a superintendent in the Fire Brigades' Association of Victoria and once president of the Metropolitan Fire Brigades Board. Mauger was one of the founders and secretary of the Anti-Sweating League. Mauger was on the Board enquiry for unemployment in 1899 and involved in the royal commission of Victorian factories and shops law in 1900.

Being a devout Christian of the Australian Church, Mauger was president of the Young Men's Christian Association and president of the Melbourne Total Abstinence Society.

Mauger attempted to run for politics in various State electorates before becoming a Member of Parliament. He stood for the seat of Fitzroy in 1892, South Melbourne in 1896 and Portland in 1897. In 1900, Mauger was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly to the seat of Footscray. He held the seat of Footscray until May 1901, where he resigned from State politics and ran for Federal politics. Mauger was the first member for Melbourne Ports in 1901 until his defeat to ALP candidate James Mathews in 1906. Mauger then shortly got elected to the Federal seat of Maribyrnong and became the electorate's first Federal Member of Parliament. He was a Minister without a Portfolio from 1906 until 1907 and then Postmaster-General until 1908. Mauger lost his seat of Maribyrnong to ALP candidate James Fenton in 1910.

Mauger did try to running for the Victorian Senate in 1913 and 1914, but failed to get elected. He was an ardent protectionist and was for some time honorary secretary of the protectionists' association of Victoria; he was for a time president of the Melbourne Total Abstinence Society, and chairman of the Indeterminate Sentences Board; and he presumably found some time for his business as a hatter and mercer. For about 50 years in every movement in Melbourne intended to better the conditions of the mass of the people, Mauger was to be found working incessantly and showing much organizing ability. In 1934 he wrote a brochure on The Rise and Progress of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Victoria, Australia, and some verses quoted on page 29 relating to the success of the staff fund illustrate his philosophy of life. Briefly it was that if anything is brought forward for the good of humanity, the difficulties will vanish if the problem is tackled with sufficient courage.

Mauger died in Elsternwick, Victoria and is buried in the Melbourne General Cemetery. At his funeral, he was given a fire guard honour. He was survived by his wife, two sons and four daughters.

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Assembly seats
Preceded by
John Hancock		 Member for Footscray
1900-1901		 Succeeded by
Jacob Fotheringham
Political offices
Preceded by
Austin Chapman		 Postmaster-General
1907–1908		 Succeeded by
Josiah Thomas
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
N/A		 Member for Melbourne Ports
1901-1906		 Succeeded by
James Mathews
Preceded by
N/A		 Member for Maribyrnong
1906-1910		 Succeeded by
James Fenton