About George Prendergast
George Michael "Mick" Prendergast was an Australian politician who served as the 28th Premier of Victoria. He was born to Irish emigrant parents in Adelaide, but he grew up in Stawell, Victoria. He was apprenticed as a printer, and worked as a compositor in Ballarat, Sydney and Narrandera before settling in Melbourne in 1887. A member of the Typographical Association, he represented that union at the Melbourne Trades Hall, of which he was President in 1893. Prendergast was one of the first Labor members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, being elected for North Melbourne in 1894. He resigned this position through ill-health in 1913, allowing George Elmslie to become the first Labor Premier, and was Chief Secretary in Elmslie's 14-day government. Prendergast thus became Premier at the age of 70 – the oldest man ever to take the office for the first time. Peacock called an election in June, at which Labor won 27 seats, the Nationalists 20 and the Country Party 13.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.