George Handley Knibbs

Sir George Handley Knibbs CMG FRSN (13 June 1858 – 30 March 1929)^[1] was an Australian scientist, the first Commonwealth Statistician and the first director of the Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry, predecessor to the CSIRO. He was nicknamed "the Knibb".

Sir George Knibbs CMG FRSN
Caricature of George Knibbs by David Low, 1919
Born	George Handley Knibbs (1858-06-13)13 June 1858 Sydney, Australia
Died	30 March 1929(1929-03-30) (aged 70) Camberwell, Victoria, Australia
Known for	Australian Statistician
Spouse	Susan Keele James
Parent(s)	John Handley Knibbs, Ellen Curthoys

Early life

Knibbs was born in Frederick Place, Sydney,^[2] son of John Handley Knibbs, foreman, and his wife Ellen née Curthoys.^[1]

Career

Knibbs joined the New South Wales Land Survey Department in 1877 and in January 1878 was appointed a licensed surveyor.

First statistician

In 1906 the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics was created and Knibbs became its first director. He was the first Statistician for the commonwealth census in 1911.

Recognition

Knibbs was created a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1911 and was knighted in 1923.

See also

• Australian Statistician
• 1911 Australian census