Gordon Brown (11 February 1885 – 12 January 1967) was an Australian politician who served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

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_ ...

from 1932 to 1965, representing the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP). He was

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

from 1943 to 1951.

Early life

Brown was born on 11 February 1885, in

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England. He was the son of Jane (née Woodcock) and William Brown; his father was a bootmaker and Methodist

lay preacher Lay preacher is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presidi ...

. Brown attended Clay Cross Grammar School on a scholarship and was then apprenticed to a patternmaker at a steam-engine manufacturing company. He had a "restless disposition" and also briefly worked as a piano salesman and in a coal mine in the north of England. He was a member of the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

where he was "steeped in Marxian theory".

Canada

In 1908, Brown moved to Canada where he became involved with the

Socialist Party of Canada The Socialist Party of Canada (SPC) was a political party that existed from 1904 to 1925, led by E. T. Kingsley. It published the socialist newspaper ''Western Clarion''. History Establishment The founding of the Socialist Party of Canada bega ...

. He later recalled his first major political speech as a three-hour address in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

. He stood unsuccessfully for the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

in Victoria City at the 1911 federal election. Brown became disillusioned with the movement's lack of success and doctrinaire nature. He was briefly imprisoned for street agitation, and subsequently returned to England.

Move to Australia

Brown arrived in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1912, and within a few months was president of the Sydney branch of the Australasian Socialist Party. Shortly after he was arrested for illegal public speaking in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

. He and a friend walked to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in April 1913, where he was again gaoled for speaking without a permit. He married Beatrice Agnes Hinchsliff in 1914, with whom he had three children. Brown became the organising secretary of the Brisbane branch of the Socialist Party, and was a regular contributor to ''

The International Socialist ''The International Socialist'' was a newspaper published in Sydney, Australia from 1910 to 1920. It has also been published as ''International Socialist Review for Australasia''. History The ''International Socialist Review for Australasia'' ...

''. By 1917 he was involved with the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

, travelling around Queensland giving speeches. His activities drew the attention of the

Commonwealth Investigation Branch The Commonwealth Police (COMPOL) was the federal law enforcement agency in Australia between 1917 and 1979. A federal police force was first established in 1917, and operated under different names and in some periods as multiple organisations. In ...

, which reported that he was involved with "the worst revolutionary elements of Brisbane". He applied for a passport to travel to Russia and study

Bolshevism Bolshevism (from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined party of social revolution, fo ...

, but was refused. In the lead-up to the 1917 conscription plebiscite, Brown was employed as an organiser by the Anti-Conscription Campaign Committee. His radicalism waned, and he later found work as an agent for the

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...

and as a salesman for Finney Isles and Co., a furniture and drapery firm. He joined the Shop Assistants' Union, serving as an organiser and vice-president, and from 1925 to 1927 served as vice-president of the

Trades and Labour Council of Queensland The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) is a representative, an advocacy group, or peak body, of Queensland trade union organisations, also known as a labour council, in the Queensland, Australia. As of 2020, 26 unions and 13 regional branche ...

Politics

Brown joined the

(ALP) in 1918 and was elected to the Senate at the 1931 federal election, to a term beginning on 1 July 1932. He served as Chairman of Committees from 1941 to 1943. On 23 September 1943, he was elected

, succeeding the late Senator James Cunningham. He remained President until 19 March 1951, when the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

took control of the Senate and elected Ted Mattner to replace him. He retired in 1964, taking effect in 1965. From 1947 to 1950, he and

Joe Collings Joseph Silver Collings (11 May 1865 – 20 June 1955) was a long-serving Australian politician. He was a hardworking Australian Labor Party bureaucrat with valuable writing and speaking talents, who was eventually rewarded by a five-year stint ...

were the joint Fathers of the Senate, and from 1950 until his retirement, Brown was the sole Father. He suffered a stroke in July 1951 while speaking on the Constitution Alteration (Powers to Deal with Communists and Communism) Bill, causing him to slump across his desk. However, he made a full recovery and served for another fourteen years, retiring on 30 June 1965 at the age of 80.

Later life

Brown published his memoirs, ''My Descent from Soapbox to Senate'', in 1953. He died on Thursday 12 January 1967 at

Royal Brisbane Hospital The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 be ...

. A

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

was held on Saturday 14 January 1967 at St Philip's Anglican Church in Annerley and then the East Chapel of

Mount Thompson Crematorium Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens and Crematorium (formerly Brisbane Crematorium) includes a heritage-listed chapel (the West Chapel), columbaria and other features. It is located on north-western slopes of Mount Thompson in Brisbane, Australia. ...

. His ashes are kept in the church's columbarium.

Early life

Canada

Move to Australia

Politics

Later life

References

Further reading