Rufus Henry Underwood (31 December 1863 – 8 October 1945) was an Australian politician who represented the

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 ...

n Legislative Assembly seat of

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

from 1906 until 1924. Initially active in the Labor Party and a minister without portfolio in the Scaddan Ministry, he left the party during the conscription crisis in 1917 and thereafter represented the

National Labor Party The National Labor Party was formed by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of the Australian Labor Party and Pri ...

for the rest of his political career.

Biography

Underwood was born in Mount Egerton, a mining district not far from

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 ...

, to William Underwood, a splitter and farmer, and Jane (née Carter). He had very little education and worked in the country. In 1880, he was apprenticed to the bootmaking trade in Victoria, before moving to South Australia where by the mid-1880s he had become president of the Bootmaker's Union. On 27 September 1886 at St Patrick's Church in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, he married Bridget Fitzpatrick, with whom he was to have two sons. In 1895, he relocated to

and engaged in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

mining with a share in a mine at Nullagine in the East

region, before moving to Tammin and engaging in farming. He joined the Labor Party and won the Legislative Assembly seat of

at a by-election on 23 July 1906 following the resignation of Independent member James Isdell. As Parliament was considering an act to establish the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

in 1911 Underwood asserted that universities bred snobs and drones and that it was easier for a

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

to walk backwards down a canvas hose than for a university man to achieve anything worthwhile. In the 1911 state election, Labor won majority government for the first time under

John Scaddan John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish A ...

. Underwood served as a Minister without Portfolio in the Scaddan Ministry from 23 November 1914 until the Ministry was defeated by a

vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

on 27 July 1916. In March 1917, some Labor members of parliament, including Underwood and former premier Scaddan, to support the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

Senate 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 ...

team for the 1917 federal election over the conscription issue. These members either left or were expelled from the Australian Labor Party and formed a new party, the

, whose members formed part of the Nationalist coalition assembled in June 1917 with

Henry Lefroy Sir Henry Bruce Lefroy (24 March 1854 – 19 March 1930) was the eleventh Premier of Western Australia. Biography Lefroy was born in Perth, Western Australia on 24 March 1854. His father was Anthony O'Grady Lefroy, Colonial Treasurer of Weste ...

as premier. Following the election, on 23 November 1917, Underwood was made a Minister without Portfolio in the Lefroy Ministry. He resigned on 26 March 1919 after he, Premier Lefroy and James Gardiner were stranded in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

for several weeks due to quarantine regulations relating to the

influenza epidemic Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...

. He continued to serve as a backbencher, but was defeated by a Labor candidate at the 1924 state election. Little is known about his life after politics, although he resided in outer suburban

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 ...

where he maintained a small farm. He died on 8 October 1945 at Sunset Home in Nedlands, and was buried in

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, Henry 1863 births 1945 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Victoria (state) Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery National Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia