Ernest Eden George (18 September 1863 – 2 May 1927), known as Eden George, was born in New South Wales and came to New Zealand as a young man. He made his career in photography and was active in Auckland and Dunedin, but mainly in Christchurch. Entrepreneurial, combative and confrontational, he entered the political scene. In his early life, he stood at five elections to the New Zealand Parliament, but he came last at every occasion. Surprisingly, he was elected Mayor of Christchurch in 1892 without, unlike all his predecessors, having ever served as a councillor on Christchurch City Council before. He had a most difficult year, was soundly beaten at the next election and told councillors that they "should forget him, as he would forget them". Indeed, in 1906, his was the only photo of all the city's ex mayors that was not on display in the mayor's office. After a short period in Auckland, George moved to Australia, where he continued his career as a photographer. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for six years. After his defeat, he travelled extensively. Early life George was born in Forbes, New South Wales to photographer and well-known cyclist William Rufus George and Bettina Holme. He attended Sydney Grammar School before becoming a photographer in c.1883 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The name of his business was George and Walton and they operated at 214 Colombo Street, which was located in the central city opposite Victoria Square. The photography studio was purpose-built and they first advertised their services as 'American Photographers' in The Press on 30 November 1883, and on occasions flew the American flag at their office. A branch studio was opened in Dunedin. He moved to Auckland and set up a branch of the Melbourne photography business Tuttle & Co in Upper Queen Street. George returned to Christchurch; by April 1886, his name appeared in the newspaper again as a Christchurch photographer. His business partner, Walton, retired and the firm was from then known as 'Eden George'. George became embroiled in a series of legal cases between 1888 and 1890, starting with a wages dispute with Karl Gerstenkorn, whom he had met in Sydney in 1888 and hired as a plate maker for his business. Their legal battle escalated when George claimed his studio had been ransacked by an intruder; speculation attributed this either to