John Earle (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
John Earle was an Australia
n politician and the first Labor
Premier of Tasmania.
descent in Bridgewater, Tasmania
, Earle left home at 17 to work as a blacksmith's apprentice in a Hobart
foundry. He studied mechanical engineering at night school, but left in 1891 for work as a tin miner and gold prospector in Zeehan
and then Corinna. Returning to Zeehan in about 1898 he was elected president of the Amalgamated Miners' Association of Victoria
and Tasmania
, and represented this association at several annual conferences. He was also a member of the local council and chairman of the hospital board.
. In 1903, he became the organization's first president.
In the same year, Earle stood for the Tasmanian House of Assembly
in the electorate of Waratah, but was defeated by three votes. He was successful with his second attempt in 1906 and led the first Tasmanian Labor government into office in 1909; a minority government which lasted a week. He returned to office as Premier and Attorney-General in 1914, serving until his defeat at the polls in 1916. While leader of the opposition Earle addressed meetings in favour of conscription
and was expelled from the Labor Party.
In March 1917 Earle was elected by the Parliament of Tasmania
to fill a vacancy in the Australian Senate
, and at the 1917 election
he successfully retained his seat as a Nationalist Party of Australia
candidate. He became Vice-President of the Executive Council
in the Hughes
ministry from December 1921 to February 1923. He was defeated at the senate election held in December 1922
, and again in 1925
, as a Nationalist candidate. In 1928 he stood as an independent candidate in his old House of Assembly constituency of Waratah, but was unsuccessful.
, on 6 February 1932. He left a widow but no children. His cousin Alicia O'Shea Petersen
would later follow Earle into politics as a prominent suffragist.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and the first Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Premier of Tasmania.
Early life
Born into a farming family of CornishCornish Australian
Cornish Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in Cornwall, United Kingdom, one of the six Celtic Nations. They form part of the worldwide Cornish diaspora which also includes large numbers of people in the US, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and many Latin...
descent in Bridgewater, Tasmania
Bridgewater, Tasmania
Bridgewater, Tasmania, is one greater Hobart's northern-most suburbs, located 19 km from the city. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Derwent River. It is a suburb of the local government area of the Municipality of Brighton....
, Earle left home at 17 to work as a blacksmith's apprentice in a Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
foundry. He studied mechanical engineering at night school, but left in 1891 for work as a tin miner and gold prospector in Zeehan
Zeehan, Tasmania
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It lies southwest of Burnie. At the 2006 census, Zeehan had a population of 845. It is part of the Municipality of West Coast....
and then Corinna. Returning to Zeehan in about 1898 he was elected president of the Amalgamated Miners' Association of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, and represented this association at several annual conferences. He was also a member of the local council and chairman of the hospital board.
Political career
After an active career as an organiser for the union, Earle helped found the Tasmanian Workers' Political League, forerunner to the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. In 1903, he became the organization's first president.
In the same year, Earle stood for the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
in the electorate of Waratah, but was defeated by three votes. He was successful with his second attempt in 1906 and led the first Tasmanian Labor government into office in 1909; a minority government which lasted a week. He returned to office as Premier and Attorney-General in 1914, serving until his defeat at the polls in 1916. While leader of the opposition Earle addressed meetings in favour of conscription
Conscription in Australia
Conscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood...
and was expelled from the Labor Party.
In March 1917 Earle was elected by the Parliament of Tasmania
Parliament of Tasmania
The Parliament of Tasmania consists of the Tasmanian Legislative Council, Tasmanian House of Assembly and the Monarch represented by the Governor of Tasmania....
to fill a vacancy in the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
, and at the 1917 election
Australian federal election, 1917
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 May 1917. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
he successfully retained his seat as a Nationalist Party of Australia
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
candidate. He became Vice-President of the Executive Council
Vice-President of the Executive Council
The Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council is a position in Australian federal governments, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Federal Executive Council in the absence of the Governor-General....
in the Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
ministry from December 1921 to February 1923. He was defeated at the senate election held in December 1922
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...
, and again in 1925
Australian federal election, 1925
Federal elections were held in Australia on 14 November 1925. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 22 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
, as a Nationalist candidate. In 1928 he stood as an independent candidate in his old House of Assembly constituency of Waratah, but was unsuccessful.
Death
Earle died at Kettering, TasmaniaKettering, Tasmania
Kettering is a coastal town on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Kettering and Woodbridge nestle into the coast on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel opposite Bruny Island - two tiny settlements gazing across the narrow channel at the island's low lying hills...
, on 6 February 1932. He left a widow but no children. His cousin Alicia O'Shea Petersen
Alicia O'Shea Petersen
Alicia O'Shea Petersen was a Tasmanian suffragist and social reformer.Alicia O'Shea Petersen was born in Tasmania. She became interested in women's and labor rights as a result of her own work in sweatshops...
would later follow Earle into politics as a prominent suffragist.