Henry (Harry) Adams (1851 – 7 June 1926) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was a United Labor Party member of the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parlia ...

from 1894 to 1902, representing Central District. He also served as president of the United Trades and Labour Council of South Australia and was a long-serving secretary of the Railways Service Association.

History

Adams was born in Tungkillo, South Australia, elder son of Henry Adams Sr., and soon after moved with his parents to a farm in Mount Barker. His father found work at the Callington mine. At age 14 Henry left school to work at the same mine. At 18 years of age he began preaching at the Mount Barker Methodist Church circuit, but resisted suggestions that he make the Church his vocation. In 1870, when the mine became uneconomic, he left Callington for

Moonta Moonta may refer to: Places *Moonta, South Australia, a locality in the Copper Coast Council including: ** East Moonta ** Moonta Bay ** Moonta Cemetery ** Moonta Mines ** North Moonta *Corporate Town of Moonta The Corporate Town of Moonta was ...

. In 1878 he left to work as a carpenter for coachbuilder John Crimp, in

Grenfell Street, Adelaide Grenfell Street () is a major street in the north-east quarter of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. The street runs west-east from King William Street to East Terrace. On the other side of King William Street, it continues as Currie S ...

. A year later he went to work for the builder Nicholas W. Trudgen, also of Grenfell Street. He next joined the Government Way and Works Department, and rose to the position of engineer. When the Department shifted to Glanville he was transferred as patternmaker. He was involved in the Union movement, and in 1893 left the job to contest the seat of Sturt on the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gover ...

for the Labor Party. He was beaten, but was elected president of the Trades and Labor council, then in 1894 won a seat on the Legislative Council, and retired in 1902, and taking up residence in Devonport Terrace, Wayville. He was associated with the Railways Service Association, and for many years was secretary. He was for 28 years a director of the Co-operative Building Society and treasurer of the Adelaide Cooperative Society. He was a longtime member of the Pirie Street Methodist Church, on the Council of the

School of Mines A school of mines (or mining school) is an engineering school, often established in the 18th and 19th centuries, that originally focused on mining engineering and applied science. Most have been integrated within larger constructs such as miner ...

, and the Board of

Elder Homes An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and t ...

. He was a former Secretary of the Amalgamated Railways Association. He was for twenty years a trustee of the Savings Bank of South Australia. Henry had a brother John Adams in Broken Hill, and three sisters: Mrs. Chapel of Moonta, Mrs. Dunstan of Mallala and a Miss Adams. He was married with two sons Henry Gordon Adams and Victor E. Adams, and a daughter, Mrs. Lattimore; he died at 4 Audley Avenue, Prospect, the home of his son H. G. Adams, and was buried at

West Terrace Cemetery The West Terrace Cemetery is South Australia's oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light's 1837 plan of Adelaide. The site is located in Park 23 of the Adelaide Park Lands just south-west of the Adelaide city centre, between ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Henry Members of the South Australian Legislative Council Australian trade union leaders 1851 births 1926 deaths