James Larcombe (1884–1957) was a

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician from

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_ ...

, Australia. He was a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former electoral div ...

Early life

James Larcombe was born in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

on 25 April 1884. His father, also named James Larcombe, was a butcher, and his mother was Mary (née Lee). He was educated at the Jenkins private school in Rockhampton. As a young man, he worked as a butcher with his father and was active in the local

labor movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

Politics

At the 1912 election, he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

to represent the newly created

electoral district of Keppel Keppel is an electoral district in the state of Queensland, Australia. The electoral district encompasses the central Queensland coast from the mouth of the Fitzroy River in the south to Shoalwater Bay to the north. Major communities located ...

. While the MLA for Keppel, he was a minister without portfolio from 9 September 1919 to 22 October 1919. Then he was appointed as Secretary for Public Works from 22 October 1919 to 7 April 1920. Then he was Secretary for Railways (7 April 1920 to 21 May 1929). At the 1929 election, he was defeated by

Daniel Owen Daniel Owen (20 October 1836 – 22 October 1895) was a Welsh novelist. He is generally regarded as the foremost Welsh-language novelist of the 19th century, and as the first significant novelist to write in Welsh. Early life Daniel Owen was bor ...

of the

Country and Progressive National Party The Country and Progressive National Party was a short-lived conservative political party in the Australian state of Queensland. Formed in 1925, it combined the state's conservative forces in a single party and held office between 1929 and 1932 ...

. He was elected again to the legislative assembly in the

electoral district of Rockhampton Rockhampton is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. Wedged between the electoral districts of Keppel to the east and Mirani to the west, Rockhampton encompasses the bulk of the regional ci ...

at the 1932 election. Again he served in a number of ministries: * Secretary for Mines: 12 April 1939 to 4 August 1939 * Minister for Transport: 4 August 1939 to 27 April 1944 * Secretary for Public Instruction: 27 April 1944 to 7 March 1946 * Treasurer: 7 March 1946 to 10 May 1950 *

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

: 10 May 1950 to 10 March 1952 He held the seat of Rockhampton until his retirement at the 1956 election. Combining his service in Keppel and Rockhampton makes him the assembly's longest serving member with 40 years 11 months 22 days; however,

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

has the longest period of continuous service (40 years 6 months 28 days).

Later life

Having never married, Larcombe died in

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 ...

on 21 June 1957. He was accorded 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 ...

which took place from St Paul's Cathedral, Rockhampton to the

South Rockhampton Cemetery South Rockhampton Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at Upper Dawson Road, Allenstown, Queensland, Allenstown, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1860 to 1970. It is also known as Dawson Road Cemetery and Rockhampt ...

.South Rockhampton Cemetery (Rockhampton General Cemetery) Index
—

Rockhampton Regional Council The Rockhampton Region is a local government area (LGA) in Central Queensland, Australia, located on the Tropic of Capricorn about north of Brisbane. Rockhampton is the region's major city; the region also includes the Fitzroy River, Mount Ar ...

Grave Location Search. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larcombe, James 1884 births 1957 deaths People from Rockhampton Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Treasurers of Queensland Attorneys-General of Queensland Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians