William Edward Brennan was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council

New South Wales Legislative Council

The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...

 between 1925 and 1934 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 from 1934 until 1935. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party

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...

 (ALP) .

Brennan was born and educated to elementary level in Wallsend, New South Wales

Wallsend, New South Wales

Wallsend is a western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area.- Origins :...

 and at age 14 he commenced work as a coal-miner at Wallsend Colliery. He was an office-holder in the Colliery Employees Federation from 1903 and in 1909, after leading a strike, he was convicted of conspiracy under the Master and Servant Act

Master and Servant Act

Master and Servant Acts or Masters and Servants Acts were laws designed to regulate relations between employers and employees during the 18th and 19th centuries. An 1823 United Kingdom Act described its purpose as "the better regulations of servants, labourers and work people"...

 and goaled at Bathurst for 3 months. In 1925, after a number of unsuccessful attempts to win the seat of Maitland

Electoral district of Maitland

Maitland is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Robyn Parker of the Liberal Party of Australia....

, Brennan was granted a life appointment to the New South Wales Legislative Council. Brennan resigned this appointment to contest the seat of Hamilton at a by-election caused by the death of Hugh Connell

Hugh Connell

Hugh John Connell DSO, MC & Bar was an Australian politician and soldier.-Early life:Connell was born in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra, New South Wales and educated at Woollahra and Paddington public schools, Fort Street High School and at a teachers' training college...

 in 1934. At the 1935 election

New South Wales state election, 1935

The 1935 New South Wales state election was held on 11 May 1935. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 31st New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting....

 he stood aside to allow the ALP to endorse Joshua Arthur

Joshua Arthur

Joshua George Arthur was an Australian politician who represented the Electoral district of Hamilton and the Electoral district of Kahibah for the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:...

. He did not hold ministerial or party office.