John Barnes (17 July 1868 – 31 January 1938) was an Australian trade unionist and politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served as a Senator for Victoria from 1913 to 1920 and 1923 to 1935. He was his party's Senate leader from 1931 to 1935 and served as Vice-President of the Executive Council in the Scullin government from 1931 to 1932.
John Barnes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in the Senate | |
| In office 6 January 1932 – 30 June 1935 | |
| Preceded by | George Pearce |
| Succeeded by | Joe Collings |
| Leader of the Government in the Senate | |
| In office 3 March 1931 – 6 January 1932 | |
| Preceded by | John Daly |
| Succeeded by | George Pearce |
| Senator for Victoria | |
| In office 1 July 1913 – 30 June 1920 | |
| In office 1 July 1923 – 30 June 1935 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 July 1868 Hamilton, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 31 January 1938 (aged 69) East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Party | Labor |
| Spouse |
Ellen Abbott (m. 1898) |
| Occupation | Labourer Shearer Miner |
Early life
editBarnes was born on 17 July 1868 in Hamilton, South Australia. He was the son of Mary (née Cummeford) and John Thomas Barnes. His father was a labourer originally from Somerset, England, while his mother was from County Clare, Ireland.[1]
Barnes' father died when he was six years old and he had a limited formal education. He left school at a young age and worked a variety of jobs, including as a roustabout, timber-getter and handyman. While travelling in search of work he lived out of a swag, reputedly carrying the works of Adam Smith, Henry George, Robert Blatchford and Henry Lawson with him.[2] Barnes eventually began working in shearing sheds, initially as a shed hand and "tar boy" and then as a shearer. By the late 1880s he had settled in Broken Hill, New South Wales, where he joined the Amalgamated Shearers' Union in 1887. He also worked as a miner for a period.[1]
Union movement
editIn 1894, Barnes was involved in the merger of the Amalgamated Shearers' Union into the new Australian Workers' Union (AWU).[1] He was the first AWU agent in Broken Hill and later returned to South Australia where he was the AWU's first paid organiser.[2] Barnes later served as the secretary of the AWU's Victoria/Riverina division from 1909 to 1913, based in Ballarat. He was elected federal president of the AWU in 1923, a position he would hold until his death in 1938.[1]
Politics
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Barnes was first elected to the Senate at the 1913 federal election, winning a six-year term beginning on 1 July 1913. His initial term was cut short by a double dissolution, but he was re-elected to a further six-year term at the 1914 election.[3]
Barnes was defeated at the 1919 general election.[4][5]
Late life and legacy
editBarnes, however was suffering from cancer and died in East Melbourne on 31 January 1938 as a senator-elect. He left a widow, one son and five daughters. He was given a state funeral, the procession travelling through the city, pausing at Trades Hall, and continuing to the Melbourne General Cemetery.[4][2]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 Pilger, Alison. "BARNES, John (1868–1938)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- 1 2 3 Marshall, Norma (1979). "Barnes, John (1868–1938)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ↑ "BARNES, the Hon. John". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- 1 2 Serle, Percival (1949). "Barnes, John". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ↑ Pilger, Alison. "BARNES, John (1868–1938)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 21 December 2022.