Bartholomew Cornelius "Con" O'Brien (20 April 1866 – 11 December 1938) was an Australian politician who served as a Labor Party member of the Legislative Council of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1901 to 1904 and again from 1908 to 1914. O'Brien was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and came to Western Australia in 1893, during the gold rushes. He initially lived in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

(in the Kimberley), but in 1894 went to Cue (in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

), to prospect for gold. In February 1895, he became the proprietor of the town's Great Britain Hotel, maintaining the lease until 1903. O'Brien was elected to the Cue Municipal Council in 1896, and from 1897 to 1900 served as mayor.Bartholomew Cornelius (Con) O'Brien
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2016. He was elected to parliament at a 1901 Legislative Council by-election for Central Province, caused by the resignation of Frederic Whitcombe. His candidacy was supported by the Amalgamated Workers' Association (a forerunner of the

Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 80,000 members. It has exerci ...

), and he subsequently joined the parliamentary Labor Party, becoming one of its first members in the Legislative Council. O'Brien lost his seat at the 1904 elections, but regained it in 1908, replacing the retiring

Joseph Thomson Joseph or Joe Thomson is the name of: *J. J. Thomson (1856–1940), physicist * Joseph Thomson (cricketer) (1877-1953), Australian cricketer *Joseph Thomson (explorer) Joseph Thomson (14 February 1858 – 2 August 1895) was a British geologist ...

. He left parliament in 1914, at the end of his six-year term, and returned to the hotel trade, running the Court Hotel in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

(which he had acquired in 1906). A prominent member of the Irish community in Perth and a leader of the annual

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

, he died at his hotel in December 1938, aged 72."MR. CON O'BRIEN DIES"
'' The Daily News'' (Perth), 12 December 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Con 1866 births 1938 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian people of Irish descent Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Ballarat Western Australian local councillors