John Braidwood Dooley (11 November 1883 – 2 August 1961) 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 New South Wales from 1928 to 1935. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served as an assistant minister in the Scullin government.

Early life

Dooley was born at Tumbarumba, New South Wales and educated at Wagga Wagga Superior Public School and at Courabyra, but left school early to become a shearer and miner. From 1901 to 1904 he was as an organizer of the ''Rural Workers' Union''. In 1910 when he was a labourer on railways 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 ...

, he helped establish the ''Railway Workers' and General Labourers' Association'', which he helped merge into the Australian Workers' Union in 1916. He later worked as a foreman in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and on Burrinjuck Dam.

Politics

Dooley ran for Labor unsuccessfully for Senate at the 1925 election, but succeeded at the 1928 election. He was deputy leader of the Senate from August to October 1929 and from February to August 1932. He was appointed Assistant Minister assisting the Minister for Works and Railways in March 1931 in the Scullin Ministry. He remained a supporter of James Scullin rather than Jack Lang during the Labor split over the fiscal policy required to deal with the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. As a result, he lost his seat in the Senate at the September 1934 election, partly because he lost Australian Workers' Union endorsement.

Later life

Dooley returned to work as a works supervisor and died at St George Hospital, Kogarah, survived by his wife, six daughters and two of his three sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dooley, John Braidwood 1883 births 1961 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Members of the Cabinet of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Australian trade unionists