John Harris (3 December 1890 – 5 October 1974) was an Australian trade unionist and 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

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 ...

from 1947 to 1951 and from 1953 to 1959, representing the Labor Party. He was an engineer before entering politics.

Early life

Harris was born 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 ...

to Amy Florence (née Ellis) and John Harris, his father being an immigrant from Wales. His family moved to

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 ...

when he was a child. After leaving school, Harris worked as a blacksmith. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in January 1916 (after previous service in the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

), and during the war served in France with the 3rd Tunnelling Company. Harris worked as an engineer after the war's end and became involved with the

Australasian Society of Engineers The Australasian Society of Engineers (ASE) was an Australian trade union active from 1890 to 1991. It was eventually incorporated into the Australian Workers' Union (AWU). History In 1890, the Australasian Society of Engineers was established a ...

, in 1931 becoming state president.

Politics and later life

Having previously served on the state executive, Harris won second place on Labor's senate ticket for the 1946 federal election, and was elected. His term began in July 1947. Harris lost his seat at the 1951 double-dissolution election, but won it back at the 1953 half-senate election. He did not contest the 1958 election, retiring at the end of his term in June 1959. In parliament, Harris spoke infrequently, but served on several committees and was generally a strong supporter of Labor policy. He did, however, oppose his party's stance on the banning the Communist Party, speaking in favour of a ban. Harris died in Perth in October 1874, aged 83. He had married Mabel Norton in 1916, with whom he had one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, John 1890 births 1974 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Australian military personnel of World War I Australian trade unionists Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia Members of the Australian Senate Politicians from Sydney 20th-century Australian politicians

Early life

Politics and later life

See also

References