Edward William O'Sullivan
Edward William O'Sullivan (17 March 1846 – 25 April 1910) was an Australian journalist and politician.
Early life and journalism
O'Sullivan was born in
O'Sullivan took a prominent part in union circles and became president of the New South Wales Typographical Association and became President of the Trades and Labor Council for six months from March 1883. In 1884, he founded a working man's party the Democratic Alliance and its newspaper the Democrat, but both failed. In 1884 O'Sullivan was part of a land reform conference, which included Paddy Crick, Louis Heydon and Adolphus Taylor to "establish a political organisation of the agricultural, mining, and working classes of New South Wales, in order to initiate a more liberal and progressive policy for the colony", a protectionist party that became known as the Land and Industrial Alliance,[3] which was for a time more successful.[2]
In 1909 he became the third President of the New South Wales Rugby League in the year after incumbent secretary and founding father of the game Henry Hoyle resigned. Hoyle was replaced by ECV Broughton, however he stood down after just less than a month due to poor health. O'Sullivan resigned as a matter of principle, upon learning that a secret faction within the NSWRL had been plotting to pay the amateur Rugby Union Wallabies players to play games against the Australian national rugby league team, the Kangaroos.
Parliamentary career
He first stood for the legislative assembly for the
In September 1899, O'Sullivan became Secretary for Public Works in the Lyne ministry, and held the same position when John See became Premier until June 1904. During his period of Works administration he spent £126,700 on roads and bridges out of revenue, and £1,341,341 out of loans on roads, harbours and rivers, and buildings. On water conservation works he spent £196,600, and on railways £2,964,400. On tramways he expended over half a million; on metropolitan water works another half-million. Country towns water supplies took £172,000, while a quarter of a million more went for sewerage and stormwater drainage. A further £40,000 odd was devoted to the Hunter water supply.[8] Central railway station was described in his obituary as the chief monument to his genius,[8] while The Bulletin was less complimentary, describing his sketch for it as having "all the salient features of the Colosseum, St Paul's, the Kremlin and a Yankee skyscraper".[2]
O'Sullivan held office for a few weeks in the
Death
O'Sullivan died at Mosman of blood poisoning after a protracted illness. He was married, and left a widow, two sons and three daughters.[2]
Literary works
O'Sullivan had three melodramas produced: Cooee Eureka Stockade and Keane, of Kalgoorlie (filmed in 1911).[2][10] He published during the 1890s Esperanza: a Tale of Three Colonies, and in 1906, Under the Southern Cross: Australian Sketches, Stories and Speeches.[1]
He also made "suggestions" to the play The Coal Strike.[11]
References
- ^ a b c Serle, Percival (1949). "O'Sullivan, Edward William (1846-1910)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ "Land reform conference". "continued". Supplement to The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. 29 August 1884. pp. 5 & 11. Retrieved 15 May 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ Green, Antony. "1882 West Sydney". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ Green, Antony. "1885 South Sydney". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Green, Antony. "1885 Queanbeyan". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Mr Edward William O'Sullivan (1846-1910)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ a b c "Death of Mr O'Sullivan". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 April 1910. p. 6. Retrieved 3 June 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "Edward William O'Sullivan". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ "Late Mr O'Sullivan's dramas". The Examiner. 26 August 1911. p. 8. Retrieved 27 September 2014 – via Trove.
- ^ "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 21, 395. New South Wales, Australia. 1 October 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.