George Peter Harris (c. 1820 – 26 November 1873) was the co-founder of the South Australian company that became Harris Scarfe.
History
Harris left England on the ship Candahar for South Australia in 1848, arriving at Port Adelaide in February 1849. Harris was born in Truro, Cornwall in about 1822. He was baptised on 21st Apr 1822 in the Parish of St Mary's, Truro. His parents were watchmaker George Harris and Jane. Fellow-passengers included his business partner John Charles Lanyon, but also George Scarfe, who would years later be a partner, but whether he was known to the others is open to conjecture. Scarfe was not an emigrant at this stage; he would make a second voyage on the Frances Henty some four years later and their famous partnership a few years later still.
Lanyon and Harris's first shipments arrived within a month and they set up shop as ironmongers at 43 Hindley Street opposite the "Black Bull" hotel.[2] Their partnership was dissolved in March 1855,[3] and Lanyon left South Australia by the barque Iris for London, where he started in business as a purchasing agent, servicing Harris and other Australian merchants.