George Klewitz Soward (27 August 1857 – 21 February 1941) was an architect and politician in South Australia. he was a partner in the firm English & Soward from 1880 to 1925, renamed English, Soward & Jackman from 1926 to 1936. Among other buildings, the firm was known for designing Beehive Corner, the Epworth Building, and the Queen Adelaide Club.
Soward's father, George Soward (– 1894) migrated to the colony of South Australia aboard Lady Emma, arriving in October 1838. His wife Eliza Maria, née Maloney (– 30 May 1855) and their daughter Eliza Maria Soward (– 26 January 1901) arrived in December 1838 aboard the same Lady Emma from Launceston; they may have broken their journey in Tasmania. The couple had six children in total. George Soward Snr married again, on 24 June 1856 to Bertha Klewitz (?–1870); they had one son, George Klewitz Soward, born 27 August 1857[1] [2] in Norwood, and two daughters: Bertha in 1859 and Emma Klewitz Soward in 1862. He married one more time, on 5 February 1873, to Eliza Deans (died 3 October 1875).
George Soward Snr was a timber merchant, ironmonger, Clerk of Works (1856) in the Colonial Architect's Department, and then Supervisor (1860) of Public Works. After Edward Hamilton's resignation in 1860, Soward was acting Colonial Architect for six months.
Soward was educated at St Peter's College from 1867 to around 1874. There, in 1872, he won the Prankerd Scholarship for the study of a foreign language.[3]
Soward served his articles as an architect with architect Thomas English from 1877, then was taken on as his partner in the firm of English and Soward around 1880. The practice continued under this name after the death of Thomas English in 1884, with his son Joseph English (died 1927).[3]