Fergie Reid (1849 – 18 November 1924) was an Australian

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

and politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly 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, representing the seat of Mount Burges. Reid was born in

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

, Scotland, and began working in the mines in Linlithgow at the age of twelve. He emigrated to Australia in 1878, initially living in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

, where he became involved in the growing labour movement. Reid arrived in Western Australia in 1896, and lived for periods in Leonora,

Malcolm Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máel C ...

, and Coolgardie. He was a branch official of the Australian Workers' Association in the Eastern Goldfields, and was also a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

.Fergie Reid
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 6 June 2016. Reid entered parliament at the 1901 state election, winning the newly created seat of Mount Burges. His seat was abolished at the 1904 election, and he unsuccessfully sought Labor preselection for the seat of Yilgarn, losing to

Austin Horan Austin Alvis Horan (2 May 1869 – 30 June 1925) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1904 to 1911, representing the seat of Yilgarn. Early life Horan was born in Richmond, Tasman ...

. At the 1904 Legislative Council elections, Reid was preselected as the Labor candidate for Metropolitan Province, but a last-minute mix-up meant his nomination did not go through. The only other nominee,

George Randell George Randell (5 October 1830 – 2 June 1915) was an Australian businessman and politician. He served intermittently in the Parliament of Western Australia between 1875 and 1910, including as a minister in the government of Sir John Forrest. ...

, was consequently re-elected unopposed. Reid again stood for parliament at the 1905 state election, running for Yilgarn as an Independent Labor candidate against Austin Horan, his old opponent for preselection. He had the support of a respected former MP,

William Oats William Oats (27 October 1841 – 25 April 1911) was an Australian mining engineer and politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1897 to 1904 and a member of the ...

,"MR. REID AT SOUTHERN CROSS."
'' Kalgoorlie Miner'', 24 October 1905. but was defeated with 41.3 percent of the vote. After leaving parliament, Reid lived in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and Dulbelling for periods, eventually retiring to Perth, where he died in 1924. He had married Rachel Menzies in 1874, with whom he had nine children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Fergie 1849 births 1924 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Trade unionists from Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Ayrshire Scottish emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian politicians