John Verran
John Verran | |
|---|---|
Thomas Price | |
| Succeeded by | Crawford Vaughan |
| Senator for South Australia | |
| In office 30 August 1927 – 16 November 1928 | |
| Preceded by | Charles McHugh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 July 1856 (1927–1928) |
| Spouse |
Catherine Trembath
(m. 1880; died 1914) |
| Children | 8 |
John Verran (9 July 1856 – 7 June 1932) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He served as premier of South Australia from 1910 to 1912, the second member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to hold the position.
Verran was born in
Early life
Verran was born at
Verran married Catherine Trembath in Moonta on 21 February 1880. They had eight children together before she died in 1914.[1]
State parliament
In 1901 he was elected a member of the
On 3 June 1910 Verran became Premier, and was also commissioner of public works and minister of mines and of water-supply. Lasting less than 21 months, the government faced riots due to a drivers' strike in Adelaide streets, and criticism of how Verran handled the problem. Considerable sums were spent on railways and harbours. The Advances for Homes Act of 1911 allowed the State Bank of South Australia to grant loans to poorer people, but the Legislative Council would not support the government attempts to create state brickyards and timber mills. Relations between the assembly and the council were strained, with Verran petitioning the British parliament to veto the council's decision. Verran called a 1912 election over the power of the upper house to veto the lower, however Labor suffered a swing against them, and were left with 16 of 40 seats.[2]
Verran introduced the Aborigines Bill
Verran was succeeded as leader of the Labor Party by Crawford Vaughan in 1913, and Verran broke with the party in 1917 over the conscription issue. In 1918, he stood as a National Party candidate and was defeated. He stood as an independent in 1921 and a Liberal in 1924, also without success.[1]
Federal parliament
Verran stood unsuccessfully as a Nationalist candidate for the Senate at the 1922 federal election and for the House of Representatives seat of Hindmarsh at the 1925 election.[1]
On 30 August 1927, aged 71, Verran was elected by state parliament to fill a casual vacancy caused by the death of ALP senator Charles McHugh. After taking his seat he spoke frequently on industrial relations and intergovernmental matters. He supported the Bruce–Page government's proposed amendments to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 and proposed introduction of secret ballots to decide strikes. Despite his background, Verran's rhetoric became increasingly anti-union, describing militant unionists as "responsible for much of our present troubles" and unions in general as "infernal political fighting machines". He also reluctantly supported the 1927 financial agreement between the federal government and the states, although stating "I never have been a federalist [...] indeed, I fought against federation, because, in my opinion, federation means the damnation of any country".[1]
Verran was defeated at the 1928 election after just over a year in the Senate.[1]
Later life
His wife predeceased him and he was survived by three sons and four daughters. He died at his daughter's home in Unley and was given a state funeral. He was buried at Moonta.[1][2]
Verran was a man of fine character whose honesty was proverbial. For many years he was a power in the Labor ranks, but his career really ended when he left the party.
See also
- Verran Ministry
- Hundred of Verran
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kwan, Elizabeth (2000). "VERRAN, John (1856–1932) Senator for South Australia, 1927–28 (Nationalist Party)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Vol. 1. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "Verran, John". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Acts of the Parliament of South Australia. Aborigines Act 1911. Item from South Australia. Acts of the Parliament of South Australia". 1911. Retrieved 26 April 2015 – via Trove.
- ^ Keith Windschuttle. "The legal status of child removal in South Australia". Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- Ross McMullin, The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891-1991
