William George Lawes

William George Lawes (1 July 1839 – 6 August 1907) was an English-born Congregationalist minister, missionary and public lecturer.

On 8 November 1860 Lawes married Fanny Wickham and 15 days later they sailed to Savage Island (now Niue).

Two years later he moved to New Guinea and settled in Port Moresby; his family became the first permanent European residents of Papua.

In the same year, Lawes published Grammar and Vocabulary of Language spoken by Motu Tribe, New Guinea.

Lawes' son Frank worked as a government officer in the New Guinea protectorate and colony, he died there in 1894.