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COLLINS, Robert Lindsay (1946–2007)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Northern Territory, 1987–98 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

COLLINS, Robert Lindsay (1946–2007)
Senator for Northern Territory, 1987–98 (Australian Labor Party)

Robert Lindsay (Bob) Collins, the first federal parliamentarian from the Northern Territory to hold ministerial office, was born in Newcastle, NSW, on 8 February 1946. His father, Robert James Collins, an illiterate merchant seaman and labourer, was nineteen when he married Fay Lindsay, an eighteen-year-old shop assistant, at Newcastle in January 1945. Bob was the eldest of five children, two girls and three boys.

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COOKE, Joseph Alfred (1904–1981)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1947–51, 1952–65 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

COOKE, Joseph Alfred (1904–1981)
Senator for Western Australia, 1947–51, 1952–65 (Australian Labor Party)

Joseph Alfred Cooke, whose family name of Cook acquired an ‘e’ on his parents’ marriage certificate, was born in Perth on 28 March 1904, sixth child of Charles John Cook, a draper, and Elizabeth Anne, née Doonan. Elizabeth came from a well-to-do family of grocers and drapers in Fremantle. Joe’s early childhood was spent at Jarrahdale. From 1914 the family lived in the south-west

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COONEY, Bernard Cornelius (1934– 2019)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1985–2002 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

COONEY, Bernard Cornelius (1934– 2019)
Senator for Victoria, 1985–2002 (Australian Labor Party)

Bernard (Barney) Cornelius Cooney was born on July 11, 1934 at Currie, King Island, Tasmania, the third of four children of Bernard Pius Cooney and his wife Constance (Corrie) Eva, née Curtain. Most of Cooney’s mainly Irish forebears had lived in Tasmania for several generations, one back to the 1820s. There was the frequent Tasmanian background of both convict and west coast mining heritage

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COOPER, Sir Walter Jackson (1888–1973)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1928–32, 1935–68 (Country and Progressive National Party; Australian Country Party)</span>

COOPER, Sir Walter Jackson (1888–1973)
Senator for Queensland, 1928–32, 1935–68 (Country and Progressive National Party; Australian Country Party)

Walter Jackson Cooper, grazier and Minister for Repatriation in the Menzies Government, was described by political commentator Don Whitington as ‘a quiet, hard working, earnest man, well liked by his colleagues and his staff’. He was born in England on 23 April 1888 at Cheetham, Lancashire, the son of Joseph Pollitt Cooper, a salesman, and Sarah, née Jackson. Educated at Bedford Grammar School, Bedford,

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CORMACK, Sir Magnus Cameron (1906–1994)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1951–53, 1962–78 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

CORMACK, Sir Magnus Cameron (1906–1994)
Senator for Victoria, 1951–53, 1962–78 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Magnus Cameron Cormack was born on 12 February 1906 at Wick, Scotland, eldest of five children of William Petrie Cormack, a medical practitioner, and his wife Violet, née Cameron. The family migrated to South Australia in about 1912, their destination influenced by Dr Cormack’s health, and by the presence in Adelaide of his cousin, Senator Sir Josiah Symon. The family first lived on the

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COTTON, Sir Robert Carrington (1915–2006)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1965–78 (Liberal Party of Australia) </span>

COTTON, Sir Robert Carrington (1915–2006)
Senator for New South Wales, 1965–78 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Robert Carrington (Bob) Cotton, accountant, timber producer and company director, was born in Broken Hill on 29 November 1915, the first of seven children of Hugh Leslie (Les) Carrington Cotton and Muriel Florence, née Pearce. Les Cotton had established a mercantile agency at Broken Hill, which included the supply of materials to the local mine. Bob Cotton was educated at Burke Ward Public School,

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COULTER, John Richard (1930– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1987–95 (Australian Democrats)</span>

COULTER, John Richard (1930– )
Senator for South Australia, 1987–95 (Australian Democrats)

John Richard Coulter was born in Perth, WA, on 3 December 1930, the elder of two children of English-born John Wolfe Stuckley Coulter, a clerk for the Vacuum Oil Company, and Constance Amelia Coulter, née Braddock, a nurse. Growing up in the then outer suburb of Nedlands, John walked each day through the bush to Nedlands Primary School. His mother wanted him to pursue

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COURTICE, Benjamin (1885–1972)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1937–62 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

COURTICE, Benjamin (1885–1972)
Senator for Queensland, 1937–62 (Australian Labor Party)

Benjamin Courtice, Bundaberg canefarmer who became federal minister for trade and customs, was one of a large number of Queensland small sugar farmers who, early in the twentieth century, replaced the non-white labourers of the South Pacific and found a strong political voice in the Queensland Labor Party. Francis Courtice, a labourer, and his wife Elizabeth, née Hamilton, both English-born, arrived in Townsville, Queensland,

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CRAWFORD, Thomas William (1865–1948)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1917–47 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party; Independent)</span>

CRAWFORD, Thomas William (1865–1948)
Senator for Queensland, 1917–47 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party; Independent)

Thomas William Crawford, sugar farmer, sugar industry advocate and politician, was born on 31 January 1865 at East Collingwood, Melbourne, son of Thomas and Ellen, née Lawson. Crawford senior had left Armagh, Ireland, in search of a better life in Australia. He opened a store at Woods Point on the Gippsland goldfields in Victoria, and soon after, in 1864, married the English-born Ellen. As

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CRICHTON-BROWNE, Noel Ashley (1944– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1981–96 (Liberal Party of Australia; Independent Liberal)</span>

CRICHTON-BROWNE, Noel Ashley (1944– )
Senator for Western Australia, 1981–96 (Liberal Party of Australia; Independent Liberal)

Noel Ashley Crichton-Browne, who was President of the Western Australian Liberal Party from 1975 to 1979, was elected to the Senate for a term beginning on 1 July 1981. He was reelected in 1983, 1984, and 1990, serving as a Liberal Party senator until 9 September 1995 and then as an Independent Liberal, before retiring upon the expiry of his final term on 30

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CRITCHLEY, John Owen (1892–1964)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1947–59 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

CRITCHLEY, John Owen (1892–1964)
Senator for South Australia, 1947–59 (Australian Labor Party)

John Owen (Jack) Critchley, carpenter and railwayman, was born at Callington, South Australia, on 18 April 1892, the first of three sons of Patrick Critchley, labourer, and Julia, née Burns. Moving to Gumbowie, where his father worked as a packer on the railways, Jack attended school at Sunnybrae, then Petersburg (later Peterborough), leaving at thirteen because he felt his parents were ‘going without to

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CROFT, John William (1871–19??)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1904–10 (Labor Party)</span>

CROFT, John William (1871–19??)
Senator for Western Australia, 1904–10 (Labor Party)

John William Croft was born to James Thomas Croft and Annie, née Bassett, on 20 January 1871 in Newcastle, New South Wales, the second of ten children. His grandfather, James, who spelled his name ‘Crofts’, had been transported for life for highway robbery, and after a brief time in Van Diemen’s Land, was sent to Newcastle where he was appointed an overseer in the

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CROWLEY, Rosemary Anne (1938– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1983–2002 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

CROWLEY, Rosemary Anne (1938– )
Senator for South Australia, 1983–2002 (Australian Labor Party)

Rosemary Anne WIllis (later Crowley), was born in Melbourne, Victoria on 30 July 1938, the second of six children of Monica Mary Willis, née Redmond, and Everard Joseph Willis, an accountant. Her family, her Roman Catholic upbringing, and her primary and secondary education at Kilmaire Brigidine Convent in Hawthorn between 1943 and 1955, combined to instil in her a passion for social justice and

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CUMMING THOM, Alan Ritchie (1928–2007)<br /><span class=subheader>Clerk of the Senate, 1982–88</span>

CUMMING THOM, Alan Ritchie (1928–2007)
Clerk of the Senate, 1982–88

Alan Cumming Thom’s term of service as Clerk of the Senate was relatively brief, but it coincided with momentous events in the history of the institution, and he was called on to advise senators on unprecedented issues.[1] Alan Ritchie Cumming Thom was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 15 February 1928, the youngest of two sons of William Cumming Thom and his wife Helen Allan,

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DALY, John Joseph (1891–1942)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1928–35 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

DALY, John Joseph (1891–1942)
Senator for South Australia, 1928–35 (Australian Labor Party)

John Joseph Daly, Adelaide barrister and solicitor, was Leader of the Government in the Senate during the first fourteen months of the Scullin Government. On the floor of the Senate he was ‘a man of outstanding merit’, but, as a Cabinet minister, he was a man in a quandary, caught between the conflicting forces swirling around J. H. Scullin and J. T. Lang, and the power struggle between

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DARCEY, Richard John (1870–1944)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1938–44 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

DARCEY, Richard John (1870–1944)
Senator for Tasmania, 1938–44 (Australian Labor Party)

Richard John Darcey was born on 26 February 1870 at Launceston, Tasmania, son of Thomas, a shoemaker, and Catherine, née Lane. After primary school, he was apprenticed to the Launceston jewellers, F. and W. Stewart, with whom he worked for eighteen years. He then moved to Hobart, where he worked for a time with Golding and Son before setting up his own jeweller’s shop

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DAVIDSON, Gordon Sinclair (1915–2002)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1961, 1962, 1965–81 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

DAVIDSON, Gordon Sinclair (1915–2002)
Senator for South Australia, 1961, 1962, 1965–81 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Gordon Sinclair Davidson, farmer and grazier, and prominent Presbyterian, was born at North Unley, Adelaide, on 17 January 1915. He was the first of two sons of Sinclair Davidson and his wife Elsie Eva, née McNeil, both native-born. Sinclair Davidson farmed Burnfoot, at Angas Plains, near Strathalbyn, South Australia, where many Scots had settled. Davidson, who saw his descent as ‘pure Scots’, was later

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DAWSON, Andrew (Anderson) (1863–1910)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1901–06 (Labor Party)</span>

DAWSON, Andrew (Anderson) (1863–1910)
Senator for Queensland, 1901–06 (Labor Party)

‘Andy’ Dawson. The name conjures up a blue flannelled miner or a grease-stained shearer, or a heavy-footed ploughman. Senator Dawson has been all three and more. Andrew (Anderson) Dawson was born on 16 July 1863, at Rockhampton, Queensland, son of Anderson Dawson, miner, and his wife Jane, née Smith. Shortly after his birth, Dawson’s parents died and he was placed in a Brisbane orphanage

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DE LARGIE, Hugh (1859–1947)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1901–23 (Labor Party; National Labour Party; Nationalist Party)</span>

DE LARGIE, Hugh (1859–1947)
Senator for Western Australia, 1901–23 (Labor Party; National Labour Party; Nationalist Party)

Hugh de Largie, miner and trade union leader, was born on 24 March 1859 in Airdrie, Scotland, the son of Archibald, a coal miner, and his wife Mary, née McLaren. Both parents died when he was young. Educated to primary level only, at St Margaret’s School in Airdrie, de Largie worked in the Lanarkshire mines from the age of ten and later became active

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DEIN, Adam Kemball (1889–1969)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1935–41 (United Australia Party)</span>

DEIN, Adam Kemball (1889–1969)
Senator for New South Wales, 1935–41 (United Australia Party)

Adam Kemball Dein, schoolteacher and businessman, was born on 4 March 1889 at Lucknow, a small mining town near Bathurst, New South Wales, fourth surviving son of Adam Francis Dein, a miner of German descent, and Elizabeth Ann, née Brook. Adam Kemball was known throughout his life as Dick. His grandfather, Adam John (1831–1910), was born in Bavaria, served in the German navy, and

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DEVEREUX, John Robert (1946– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1987–96 (Australian Labor Party; Independent)</span>

DEVEREUX, John Robert (1946– )
Senator for Tasmania, 1987–96 (Australian Labor Party; Independent)

John Robert Devereux, union organiser, was born in Gormanston, Tasmania, on 8 February 1946, the second of seven children and only son of Albert Bernard and Floris Merle Devereux. His father was a truck and bus driver and labourer. Educated at St Mary’s Convent School, Gormanston, St Joseph’s School (1954–57) and R. M. Murray High School (1958–61), both at Queenstown, and at the Mt.

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DITTMER, Felix Cyril Sigismund (1904–1977)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1959–71 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

DITTMER, Felix Cyril Sigismund (1904–1977)
Senator for Queensland, 1959–71 (Australian Labor Party)

Felix Cyril Sigismund Dittmer, a medical practitioner who unwittingly helped bring about the Split in the Queensland ALP in the mid-1950s, was born at Dugandan in south-eastern Queensland, on 27 June 1904. He was the son of Gustav Dittmer, a chemist born in Germany, and Marie Farris, née Massie, born in Queensland. By 1916 the family had moved to Childers, where Felix gained his

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DOOLEY, John Braidwood (1884–1961)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1928–35 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

DOOLEY, John Braidwood (1884–1961)
Senator for New South Wales, 1928–35 (Australian Labor Party)

John Braidwood Dooley, labourer and builder, grew up in a family centred in and about the goldmining town of Braidwood in southern New South Wales, where in 1856 Joseph Dooley and Martha, née Painter, were married in St Bede’s Roman Catholic Church. Joseph had come from Ireland, though Martha was born at nearby Oranmeir in the heart of bushranging country. The second of their

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DOWNER, Sir John William (1843–1915)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1901–03 (Protectionist)</span>

DOWNER, Sir John William (1843–1915)
Senator for South Australia, 1901–03 (Protectionist)

John William Downer, federationist and defender of the smaller states, was born in Adelaide on 6 July 1843, the fourth son of Henry Downer, a tailor, and his wife Jane, née Field. His parents had emigrated from England in 1838. Downer was to live in Adelaide all his life. Downer attended a private academy and then completed his education at St Peter’s College, where

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DRAKE-BROCKMAN, Sir Thomas Charles (1919–1992)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1958–78 (Australian Country Party; National Country Party) </span>

DRAKE-BROCKMAN, Sir Thomas Charles (1919–1992)
Senator for Western Australia, 1958–78 (Australian Country Party; National Country Party)

Thomas Charles Drake-Brockman, farmer, airman and grazier, was a member of a pioneering Western Australian family. His great-grandfather, Robert James Brockman, arrived at Fremantle from England in 1831. One of Robert’s grandchildren, Robert James Hastie Brockman, became a farmer at Toodyay, near Northam. In 1918 Robert married Rose Ita (Nora) Marrinan, who came from Kilkee, Ireland. Rose had arrived in Perth in 1911, aged

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DRAKE, James George (1850–1941)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1901–06 (Protectionist)</span>

DRAKE, James George (1850–1941)
Senator for Queensland, 1901–06 (Protectionist)

As one of two ministers in the first Senate, James George Drake established the largest of the seven new Commonwealth departments—that of Postmaster-General. Born in London on 26 April 1850, son of Edward Drake, a publican, and his wife, Ann Fanny, née Hyde, Drake was educated at King’s College School, London. Eager to see the world, he left London on the Abbey Holmeon 4

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DRURY, Arnold Joseph (1912–1995)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1959–75 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

DRURY, Arnold Joseph (1912–1995)
Senator for South Australia, 1959–75 (Australian Labor Party)

Arnold Joseph Drury, grocer, was born in Adelaide on 23 July 1912, the sixth of eight children of William, a labourer, and Mary Allen, also known as Green. A member of a close-knit Catholic family, he was educated at St Mary’s Dominican Convent in Franklin Street, Adelaide, selling newspapers as a lad and leaving school at the age of fourteen due to family financial

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DUFFY, Charles Cashel Gavan (1855–1932)<br /> <span class=subheader>Clerk of the Senate, 1917–20</span>

DUFFY, Charles Cashel Gavan (1855–1932)
Clerk of the Senate, 1917–20

Charles Cashel Gavan Duffy, the third Clerk of the Senate, made a notable contribution to the work of the early federal parliaments. He was born on 27 August 1855 at Blackrock, near Dublin, the second son of Charles Gavan Duffy and his second wife, Susan, née Hughes. He came to Australia with his parents in 1856 but returned to Britain in 1865, where he

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DUNCAN-HUGHES, John Grant (1882–1962)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1931–38 (United Australia Party)</span>

DUNCAN-HUGHES, John Grant (1882–1962)
Senator for South Australia, 1931–38 (United Australia Party)

John Grant Duncan-Hughes, lawyer and pastoralist, was born into the politically minded Duncan family on 1 September 1882 at ‘Hughes Park’, near Watervale, South Australia. He was the eldest of the four sons of John James (later Sir John) Duncan, pastoralist and politician, and Jean Gordon, née Grant. His brother Walter would become a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1918 to

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DUNCAN, Walter Leslie (1883–1947)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1920–31 (Nationalist Party)</span>

DUNCAN, Walter Leslie (1883–1947)
Senator for New South Wales, 1920–31 (Nationalist Party)

Duncan’s career is understandably seen within the shadows of the more powerful men he supported, first within the trade unions of the pre-war period and then, when he followed W. M. Hughes over conscription, the Nationalist Party of the 1920s. His political role was distinctive, however, and his career, relatively long within his life, extended over thirty-three years, from his first unsuccessful contest in 1907,

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DUNN, James Patrick Digger (1887–1945)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1929–35 (Australian Labor Party; Lang Labor)</span>

DUNN, James Patrick Digger (1887–1945)
Senator for New South Wales, 1929–35 (Australian Labor Party; Lang Labor)

James Patrick Digger Dunn, unionist and soldier, was born on 20 August 1887, probably in Kirkdale, Liverpool, England, son of Thomas, a marine officer and Margaret, née Kavanagh. All his life Dunn proudly proclaimed his Irish ancestry. His parents arranged for him to go to sea as a young man, but Dunn deserted in South Africa, later going on to Sydney and subsequently to

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DUNN, Patricia Irene (1948– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1988–90 (Nuclear Disarmament Party; Independent)</span>

DUNN, Patricia Irene (1948– )
Senator for New South Wales, 1988–90 (Nuclear Disarmament Party; Independent)

Patricia Irene (Irina) Dunn[1] was born on 17 March 1948 in Shanghai, China, the eldest of two children of Timothy Edward Dunn and his wife Raisa Andreevna, née Yakimenko. Irina’s mother was of Ukrainian origin while her father, who was also born in Shanghai, was of mixed Irish, Portuguese and Chinese ancestry. Timothy Dunn worked on the North China Daily News and was aligned

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EDWARDS, John Ernest (1890–1958)<br /> <span class=subheader>Clerk of the Senate, 1942–55</span>

EDWARDS, John Ernest (1890–1958)
Clerk of the Senate, 1942–55

‘Without its permanent administrative officials’, wrote the journalist Warren Denning in 1946, ‘Parliament would be a rudderless ship, a ship of state with many captains, lots of passengers, but no crew’. During his forty years as a parliamentary officer, John Ernest Edwards made a distinctive contribution to parliamentary government as a member of that ‘crew’ through his ‘mastery and knowledge of all forms of

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ELLIOTT, Harold Edward (1878–1931)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1920–31 (Nationalist Party)</span>

ELLIOTT, Harold Edward (1878–1931)
Senator for Victoria, 1920–31 (Nationalist Party)

Harold Edward Elliott, was born at West Charlton in north-west Victoria on 19 June 1878. He was the fifth of eight children of Thomas Elliott and his wife Helen, née Janverin, who had arrived in Victoria during the gold rushes of the 1850s. Thomas and Helen, both English-born, married at St Michael’s Church of England, Talbot, in 1867 and settled in nearby Cockatoo. After

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ELLIOTT, Robert Charles Dunlop (1884–1950)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1929–35 (Australian Country Party)</span>

ELLIOTT, Robert Charles Dunlop (1884–1950)
Senator for Victoria, 1929–35 (Australian Country Party)

Robert Charles Dunlop Elliott (known as R. D.) was a businessman and newspaper proprietor, active in Country Party politics. He was born on 28 October 1884 at Kyneton, central Victoria, the fourth surviving child of Robert Cochrane Elliott, a grocer from Northumberland, England, who fell on hard times, and his wife, Maria Jeanette, née Williamson, a native of Inverness, Scotland. Young Robert received a rudimentary

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ELSTOB, Ronald Charles (1924– 2023)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1978–87 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

ELSTOB, Ronald Charles (1924– 2023)
Senator for South Australia, 1978–87 (Australian Labor Party)

Ronald Charles (Ron) Elstob was born on 29 November 1924 in Toowoomba, Queensland. His parents, Charles Henry Elstob, a labourer and shearer, and Ann Elstob, née Terbutt, the daughter of a grazier with substantial land holdings, were both from Narrabri, NSW, and had moved to Toowoomba from Augathella, Qld, around the time of Ronald’s birth. Ron, and his older sisters Vera and Rita, attended

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EVANS, Gareth John (1944– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1978–96 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

EVANS, Gareth John (1944– )
Senator for Victoria, 1978–96 (Australian Labor Party)

Gareth John Evans, the elder child of tram driver Allan Oswald Evans and his wife Phyllis (Phyl), née LeBoeuf, formerly a store manager for Woolworths, was born at Kew, Melbourne, on 5 September 1944. Gareth grew up in Hawthorn, not far from the tram depot where his father worked, before the family moved to Surrey Hills in the 1950s. Evans maintained a life-long connection

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EVANS, John Gordon (1928–2009)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1983–85 (Australian Democrats)</span>

EVANS, John Gordon (1928–2009)
Senator for Western Australia, 1983–85 (Australian Democrats)

Although Jack Evans served in the Senate for only two years, he was a founding member of the Australian Democrats before entering Parliament and remained a key figure in the party afterwards. He was described as ‘the consummate Democrat’. John Gordon (Jack) Evans was born at Southern Cross, a goldfields town in Western Australia, on 28 November 1928, the eldest of three sons of

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FAIRBAIRN, Sir George (1855–1943)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1917–23 (Nationalist Party)</span>

FAIRBAIRN, Sir George (1855–1943)
Senator for Victoria, 1917–23 (Nationalist Party)

‘Parliament’, said Senator George Fairbairn, ‘should exercise supreme control over the public purse’. With his regard for the principles of the Constitution, his keen business acumen and eye for detail, Fairbairn exemplified the Senate’s developing role as a house of review. Born at Newtown, Geelong, Victoria, on 23 March 1855, the eldest of six sons and a daughter, his father, also George Fairbairn, was

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FERGUSON, John (1830–1906)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1901–03 (Free Trade)</span>

FERGUSON, John (1830–1906)
Senator for Queensland, 1901–03 (Free Trade)

John Ferguson, builder, contractor and mining investor, was born at Kenmore, Perthshire, Scotland on 15 March 1830, son of John Ferguson, weaver, and his wife Janet, née Ferguson. After a short period of primary schooling, he worked on the Marquis of Breadalbane’s estate. In 1847, he became a carpenter’s apprentice at Killin, later moving to Glasgow where he was employed as a journeyman and

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FERRICKS, Myles Aloysius (1875–1932)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1913–20 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

FERRICKS, Myles Aloysius (1875–1932)
Senator for Queensland, 1913–20 (Australian Labor Party)

Myles Aloysius Ferricks was born in Maryborough, Queensland, on 12 November 1875, the fourteenth child of Austin and Mary, née Sheridan. Educated at the Albert State School and Maryborough Christian Brothers, he subsequently passed the Sydney University Junior Examination. With a farm upbringing and a first-class engine driver’s certificate, he was able to turn his hand to a variety of occupations from teaching to

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FIELD, Albert Patrick (1910–1990)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1975 (Independent)</span>

FIELD, Albert Patrick (1910–1990)
Senator for Queensland, 1975 (Independent)

Albert Patrick Field was a member of the Senate for a very short period and was on leave for most of it, but he was at the epicentre of historic events that brought down the Labor Government of Gough Whitlam. He is remembered, if only briefly, in virtually all accounts of the dismissal of that Government in 1975, and even to some extent in

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FINLAY, Alexander (1887–1963)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1944–53 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

FINLAY, Alexander (1887–1963)
Senator for South Australia, 1944–53 (Australian Labor Party)

Alexander Finlay, coach painter and union official, was born on 14 November 1887 in South Yarra, Victoria, to Alexander, a painter of Scottish descent, and his wife Florence. When Alexander was still young, the family moved to his mother’s home state of South Australia, to Adelaide. The city would remain his home. He attended Unley Public School until he was twelve (1894–99), took up

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FOLL, Hattil Spencer (1890–1977)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1917–47 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

FOLL, Hattil Spencer (1890–1977)
Senator for Queensland, 1917–47 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)

Twenty-six at the time of his election, Hattil (Harry) Spencer Foll held the record for ‘youngest senator’ until 24-year-old Bill O’Chee was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in 1990. Foll, who apparently disliked the name Hattil, was born at West Brixton, London, on 30 May 1890 to John Hattil Foll, a butcher, and Kate, née Lamb. He was their second child and was

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FOREMAN, Dominic John (1933–2020)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1981–97 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

FOREMAN, Dominic John (1933–2020)
Senator for South Australia, 1981–97 (Australian Labor Party)

Dominic Foreman spent most of his early working life in the automobile industry, first as an assembly worker, then as a union official. Committed to the Labor Party’s ‘great goal of social equality’, he continued during his years in the Senate to defend the rights and conditions of low-paid workers, particularly those in manufacturing industries.[1] Dominic John Foreman was born in Clare, South Australia,

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FOSTER, George Matthew (1884–1956)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1920–25 (Nationalist Party)</span>

FOSTER, George Matthew (1884–1956)
Senator for Tasmania, 1920–25 (Nationalist Party)

George Matthew Foster, motor mechanic, Gallipoli veteran, land agent, temperance hotel director and Baptist, was born in Adelaide on 29 January 1884, the son of George Foster, a tailor’s cutter, and hiswife Isabella, née Forscutt. George, who was probably educated in Hobart, left school to become a motor mechanic and served in World War I as a sergeant in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment.

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FRASER, James McIntosh (1889–1961)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1938–59 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

FRASER, James McIntosh (1889–1961)
Senator for Western Australia, 1938–59 (Australian Labor Party)

James McIntosh Fraser, Perth tram driver, city councillor and member of the wartime ministries of the Curtin, Forde and Chifley Labor governments, was born on 12 March 1889 at 26 Batchen Street, Forres, Scotland, to James McIntosh Fraser, ploughman, and Elspet, née Anderson. The young James was educated at the Milne’s Institution, Fochabers, until 1903. His initial employment was as an apprentice gardener at

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FRASER, Sir Simon (1832–1919)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1901–13 (Protectionist; Anti-Socialist Party)</span>

FRASER, Sir Simon (1832–1919)
Senator for Victoria, 1901–13 (Protectionist; Anti-Socialist Party)

Simon Fraser, a successful entrepreneur who became wealthy from dealings in construction, grazing and banking, was a prominent and respected public figure. He was born in Canada, in the town of Pictou, Nova Scotia, on 21 August 1832, the youngest son of a Scottish migrant, William Fraser, a farmer and miller, and his wife Jane, née Fraser. Educated at a local school, Fraser emigrated

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GAIR, Vincent Clare (1901–1980)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1965–74 (Democratic Labor Party)</span>

GAIR, Vincent Clare (1901–1980)
Senator for Queensland, 1965–74 (Democratic Labor Party)

Vincent Clare Gair was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, on 25 February 1901. He was the eighth of the ten children of John Alexander Gair, prison warder, and Catherine Mary, née Maguire. John Gair immigrated to Queensland from Scotland in 1885, where he had worked as a publican and hospital orderly. He was a ‘strict disciplinarian’ and ‘a life-long supporter of the Labour Party’, but

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GARDINER, Albert (1867–1952)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1910–26, 1928 (Australian Labor Party; Progressive Labor)</span>

GARDINER, Albert (1867–1952)
Senator for New South Wales, 1910–26, 1928 (Australian Labor Party; Progressive Labor)

Albert (Jupp) Gardiner, carpenter and free trader, has the dubious distinction of holding the record for the longest speech ever made in the Federal Parliament—an all-night ‘stonewaller’ in 1918. Coincidentally, it was the youthful Albert’s resemblance to an English cricketer, one Henry Jupp, alias ‘Young Stonewall’, which led to his being dubbed ‘Jupp’ . Both Henry Jupp and his Australian namesake were broad-shouldered men

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GEORGES, George (1920–2002)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1968–87 (Australian Labor Party; Independent)</span>

GEORGES, George (1920–2002)
Senator for Queensland, 1968–87 (Australian Labor Party; Independent)

George Georgouras was born in Darwin on 15 April 1920, the fourth of seven children of Athanasios Georgouras and his wife Panayiota, née Stergoulis. Athanasios came from Castellorizo, an isolated island off the southeast coast of Greece with a ‘difficult and tragic history’ of political troubles that led many of its inhabitants to flee to Australia. He immigrated to Australia in 1912 and started

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GIBBS, Brenda (1947– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1996–2002 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

GIBBS, Brenda (1947– )
Senator for Queensland, 1996–2002 (Australian Labor Party)

Brenda Gibbs’ term as a senator for Queensland began in the wake of a bitter pre-selection contest and the death of her 28-year-old son. In a way, it finished as it began, as the result of a factional quarrel over the federal seat of Petrie. In the interim, the senator was a strong advocate for the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Born on 3 September 1947

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GIBSON, Brian Francis (1936–2017)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1993–2002 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

GIBSON, Brian Francis (1936–2017)
Senator for Tasmania, 1993–2002 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Brian Francis Gibson was born on 4 November 1936 at Ascot Vale, Melbourne, the eldest son of ten children of Kingsley Melbourne Gibson and his wife Agnes, née O’Donnell. He received his secondary education at St Patrick’s College, Ballarat. Kingsley Gibson worked for the Forests Commission Victoria and Brian followed his father into forestry, gaining a forestry scholarship to the University of Melbourne where

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GIETZELT, Arthur Thomas (1920–2014)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1971–89 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

GIETZELT, Arthur Thomas (1920–2014)
Senator for New South Wales, 1971–89 (Australian Labor Party)

Arthur Gietzelt was a senator for New South Wales from 1971 until his resignation on 27 February 1989. He was a member of the left faction of the Australian Labor Party with a reputation as a ‘legendary numbers man’ because of his success at organising votes within the New South Wales state branch and the federal parliamentary party. Arthur Thomas Gietzelt was born on

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GILES, Patricia Jessie (1928–2017)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1981–93 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

GILES, Patricia Jessie (1928–2017)
Senator for Western Australia, 1981–93 (Australian Labor Party)

Pat Giles was born Patricia Jessie White, daughter of Eustace Frederick White, car salesman, shop keeper and accountant, and his wife Marjorie Eva, née Norris, schoolteacher, on 16 November 1928 at Minlaton, South Australia. The family moved to Melbourne, but the marriage was ‘violent and unhappy’. Marjorie and Pat returned to Adelaide in 1931, shortly before Marjorie gave birth to her second daughter. Marjorie

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GIVENS, Henry Thomas (1864–1928)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1904–28 (Labor Party; National Labour Party; Nationalist Party)</span>

GIVENS, Henry Thomas (1864–1928)
Senator for Queensland, 1904–28 (Labor Party; National Labour Party; Nationalist Party)

Henry Thomas Givens, cane-cutter, miner, journalist and President of the Senate for thirteen years, arrived in Australia in 1882. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, on 12 June 1864,the son of a farmer, Robert Givens, and his wife, Mary Ann, née White. Once in the Antipodes, young Thomas travelled north to Queensland, where he worked on the cane fields. For a period, he

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GLASGOW, Sir Thomas William (1876–1955)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1920–32 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

GLASGOW, Sir Thomas William (1876–1955)
Senator for Queensland, 1920–32 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

Thomas William (Bill) Glasgow was born on 6 June 1876, at ‘Upton Bank’, Tiaro, on the Mary River, inland from Maryborough in Queensland. His father, Samuel, had come from Armagh, in Northern Ireland to the four-year-old colony in 1863. Samuel had married in 1864, but his first wife died in 1867, leaving him to bring up an infant daughter, Elizabeth. Gold was discovered at

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GLASSEY, Thomas (1844–1936)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1901–03 (Protectionist)</span>

GLASSEY, Thomas (1844–1936)
Senator for Queensland, 1901–03 (Protectionist)

Thomas Glassey, miner and auctioneer, and widely regarded as Australia’s first Labor MP, was also a founder of the National Party in Queensland. Glassey was born at Markethill, County Armagh, Ireland, on 26 February 1844, son of Wilhelm Glassey, a mill hand who supported his large family on ten pence a day, and his wife Susannah, who died when Glassey was an infant. From

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GORTON, Sir John Grey (1911–2002)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1950–68 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

GORTON, Sir John Grey (1911–2002)
Senator for Victoria, 1950–68 (Liberal Party of Australia)

John Gorton, the only Australian prime minister to come from the Senate, was judged variously to be ‘a national disaster’, who was ‘utterly unfitted for the post’; a man ‘ahead of his time’; and the leader who ‘could have been our greatest prime minister’. He was also described, with some accuracy, as the Liberal Party’s ‘only true maverick prime minister’. John Grey Gorton was

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GRAHAM, Charles Montague (1867–1938)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1923–29 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

GRAHAM, Charles Montague (1867–1938)
Senator for Western Australia, 1923–29 (Australian Labor Party)

Charles Montague Graham came to politics via ‘tailoring’ on the Western Australian goldfields. Born in 1867 at Christchurch, New Zealand, eldest son of Patrick Graham, horse trainer, Charles Montague was educated and trained as a tailor in New Zealand. In his early twenties, he migrated to the Australian goldfields and by 1892 had set up as a tailor in Pell Street, Broken Hill. He

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GRANT, Charles William (1878–1943)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1925, 1932–41 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

GRANT, Charles William (1878–1943)
Senator for Tasmania, 1925, 1932–41 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

Charles William Grant, businessman, was born on 24 April 1878, at Hobart, elder son of Charles Henry Grant, engineer, businessman and MLC, and Jane, née Nicholls. Educated in Hobart at The Hutchins School, Grant worked on various mainland sheep stations for a few years, returning to Hobart to commence a business career in 1901. In time he became a partner in the dairy produce

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GRANT, Donald MacLennan (1888–1970)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1944–59 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

GRANT, Donald MacLennan (1888–1970)
Senator for New South Wales, 1944–59 (Australian Labor Party)

Described as ‘one of the men who gave fire and colour to the Labor tradition’, Donald MacLennan Grant was born at Inverness, Scotland, on 26 February 1888, son of Donald Grant, an insurance agent, and his wife Mary, née McLennan.[1] He was educated in Inverness, left school at twelve and was later apprenticed as a dental mechanic. Grant became involved in socialist politics at

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GREENWOOD, Ivor John (1926–1976)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1968–76 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

GREENWOOD, Ivor John (1926–1976)
Senator for Victoria, 1968–76 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Ivor John Greenwood, barrister, was born on 15 November 1926 in North Melbourne to Bartlett John Greenwood, a boilermaker with the Victorian Railways, and his wife Joy Olive, née Vickers, both born in Melbourne. The Greenwoods were worshippers at the Church of Christ, and Ivor later attributed the development of his political attitudes to the high sense of individual responsibility inculcated by the Church.

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GRIMES, Donald James (1937–2021)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1974–87 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

GRIMES, Donald James (1937–2021)
Senator for Tasmania, 1974–87 (Australian Labor Party)

Donald James (Don) Grimes was born in Albury, New South Wales, on 4 October 1937. He was the only son and eldest of two surviving children of Walter John Grimes, a fitter and turner with New South Wales Railways, and his wife Annie Mildred (Nancy), née O’Neill, who was a nurse before her marriage. Nancy Grimes died of bowel cancer when Don was in

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