Francis Matthew John Baker (1903 – 28 March 1939) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

politician and vice-president of the State Service Union. Baker was born in

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. A member of the Federal Labor Party, he unsuccessfully ran for office for the Queensland seat of

Oxley Oxley may refer to: Places Australia Australian Capital Territory * Oxley, Australian Capital Territory is a suburb of Canberra, Australia Queensland *Oxley, Queensland is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia **Oxley railway station, Brisbane ...

in the 1928 federal election, being beaten by James Bayley of the Nationalist Party. He made a second run for the seat in 1929, and narrowly lost to Bayley. In the 1931 election he contested Oxley for a third time, this time successfully. He was one of only two Labor challengers to defeat a

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

incumbent in an election that saw the two Labor factions cut down to 18 seats between them. Following the abolition of Oxley, Baker successfully contested

Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Rid ...

, essentially a reconfigured version of Oxley, in 1934 and won. He was reelected in 1937. He remained in parliament until 1939 when he was killed in a motor accident. His death resulted in the 1939 Griffith by-election. In 1936, Baker led a proposal for Australian parliamentary proceedings to be broadcast on radio. Following his death, the Australian prime minister,

Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office, 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He ...

(who himself died a little over a week later), commented that "had he lived, I am sure he would have advanced to an important place in his party." Baker studied law while a member of parliament and had almost completed his course when he died. Baker's father, Francis (Frank) Patrick Baker, was elected to the seat of Maranoa in 1940. This is the only case in which a father was elected to the Australian federal parliament ''after'' his son. Baker is buried in

South Brisbane Cemetery South Brisbane Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at 21 Fairfield Road and Annerley Road, Dutton Park, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Brisbane River. It was built from 1870 to 1990s. It is also known as Dutton Par ...

.Baker Francis Mathew John
– Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

References

1903 births 1939 deaths Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Griffith Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Oxley Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Burials in South Brisbane Cemetery Road incident deaths in Australia 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Labor-representative-stub