George James MacDonald (12 May 1805 − 21 December 1851) was a Commissioner of Crown Lands in the British colony of New South Wales where he founded both the city of Armidale and the town of Balranald. He is mostly remembered for his role in leading a contingent of Border Police troopers in a large massacre of Indigenous Australians in the Clarence River region. MacDonald was also considered a talented linguist and writer, producing several published works of poetry and prose reflecting on his experiences in Australia.