James Joseph Maloney (26 June 1901This date is according to the website of the Parliament of NSW. The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' says he was born on 28 July 1901 – 28 January 1982) was an Australian Labor politician and diplomat.

Early life and career

He was born in

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

to baker James Moloney and Mary Ann Pickels. He was educated locally and became a messenger boy, subsequently moving to

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 ...

to become a bootmaker. On 19 April 1924 he married Emily Dent, with whom he had four children. He had joined the Labor Party and the

Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation The Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation (ABTEF) was an Australian trade union which existed from 1908 to 1987.Smith, Bruce A. created 20 April 2001, last modified 6 August 2010. Trade Union Entry: Australian Boot Trade Employees Federati ...

in 1915; he was New South Wales secretary of the union from 1932 to 1943, federal president from 1936 to 1940 and federal secretary from 1940 to 1943. He was also a delegate to the

Trades and Labor Council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

from 1927 to 1943, an executive member from 1930 to 1943, and president from 1940 to 1943.

Political and diplomatic career

From 1941 to 1972 he was a Labor member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

; during this period he was a Minister without Portfolio from 1954 to 1956 and Minister for Labour and Industry from 1956 to 1965. From 1966 to 1971 he was Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Prime Minister

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...

appointed him the Australian Minister to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

between December 1943 and February 1946. He was granted leave of absence from the Legislative Council to take up this post.

Later life

Maloney died at

Kogarah Kogarah () is a suburb of Southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres (9 miles) south-west of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area. Loca ...

in 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maloney, Jim 1901 births 1982 deaths Australian trade unionists Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Ambassadors of Australia to the Soviet Union 20th-century Australian politicians Burials at Rookwood Cemetery