The Downer family has played a significant role in the and Australian political and social sphere since the early days of European settlement. Their earliest ancestors were Mary Ann Downer (1792–1868) and her son Henry Downer, a tailor (1811–1870), who travelled from England to Australia in 1862, settling in Adelaide.
Henry Downer | Henry Downer | 1811–1870 | Tailor | Jane Field | Arrived from England aboard the Eden on 24 February 1838 Naval Tailor Fathers a Political Dynasty: Henry DOWNER (1811‐1870) & Jane FIELD (1806‐1861), The Pioneers Association of South Australia Inc. Retrieved 13 March 2016 | ||
George Downer | Alexander George Downer | 1839–1916 | Barrister, journalist, businessman | Henry Downer and Jane Downer (née Field) | unmarried | ||
John Downer | John William Downer | 1843–1915 | Partner in the legal firm G & J Downer | Premier of South Australia 1885 – 1887, 1892 – 1893 | Henry Downer and Jane Downer (née Field) | Elizabeth Henderson Una Stella Haslingden Russell | Una Russell remarried in 1919, to D’Arcy Wentworth Addison. |
Henry Edward Downer | 1836–1905 | lawyer, businessman, politician | Henry Downer and Jane Downer (née Field) | Maria Martin Haggar | |||
Alick Downer | Alexander Russell Downer | 1910–1981 | Minister for Immigration, Australian 1958 – 1963 High Commissioner in London 1964 – 1972 | John William Downer and Una Stella Haslingden Downer (née Russell) | Mary Isobel Gosse | ||
Mary Downer | Mary Isobel Gosse | 1924–2014 | James Hay Gosse and Joanna Lang Gosse (née Barr Smith) | Alick Downer | |||
Alexander Downer | 1951 – | Minister for Foreign Affairs 1996 – 2007 Opposition Leader (Liberal Party) 1994 – 1995 | Alick Downer and Mary Downer (née Gosse) | Nicola Robinson | |||
Georgina Downer | Georgina Mary Beatrice Downer | 1979– | Lawyer, diplomat, political adviser | Alexander Downer and Nicola Rosemary "Nicky" Downer (née Robinson) | Will Heath | Contested the 2018 Mayo by-election and the 2019 Australian federal election as the endorsed Liberal candidate, in both cases unsuccessfully. |
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