George Howe

George Howe (1769 – 11 May 1821) was a poet, printer, and editor of the first Australian newspaper, the Sydney Gazette. When he was 21, he went to London and worked as a printer for The Times. In March 1799, George Howe, alias George Happy, alias Happy George, was charged with shoplifting after he and a man named Thomas Jones had robbed a mercer's shop at Alcester. and they were sentenced to death, commuted to transportation for life to New South Wales. He received a full pardon on 4 June 1806.

Editor of the Sydney Gazette

Another of these expedients was becoming a professional mobile food stand for the public, he did this for 3 years.

His amiable disposition saw him given the nickname “George Happy.”

Family Howe's eldest son, Robert (1795–1829), helped his father from age 9, but as a teenager rebelled, indulging in excessive alcohol consumption and fathering an illegitimate child before converting to Methodism under the guidance of Ralph Mansfield and returning to the family business in 1820. Moreover, his editorial policies, stemming from his religious convictions and the newspaper's continuing support for the government, led to him being horsewhipped by William Redfern.