John Henry "Johnno" Mann (30 June 1896 – 7 January 1973) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly 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 Assembly h ...

Early years

Mann was born in Rockhampton,

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 , establishe ...

, to parents William Joseph and his wife Janet (née Low) and was educated at Mount Morgan Boys Central School. He worked at a variety of jobs including stockman, wharfie, meatworker, and cane cutter before moving to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

during late years of

the 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 contagion ...

.The Speakers of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989
—

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

. Retrieved 26 April 2015.

Political career

In January 1936, the

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 la ...

member for the state seat of

, Robert Funnell, unexpectedly died. Mann was chosen by the party to contest the April

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

which he easily won and went on to represent the electorate for over 33 years until his retirement from politics on 17 May 1969. Mann was Chairman of Committees from 3 Aug 1944 until 10 Oct 1950 at which time he was appointed Speaker of the Queensland Parliament. He ran the Office of the Speaker with forceful dignity and years later he advised "you never forget you're the boss, and you never let anyone else forget you’re the boss". Mann's time as Speaker ended with Labor's defeat at the 1957 state election. Mann's reputation as a drinker and gambler was legendary and his time in Parliament was not without controversy. Mann was once caught in a police raid on an illegal

baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...

school in South Brisbane. After being attacked by his opponents in the Assembly over the issue, he explained to the House that as a conscientious member of Parliament he was monitoring the illegal casino with a plan to exposing its activities when the police arrived. Another incident occurred when his chauffeur-driven official limousine had an accident revealing the fact that he was using the vehicle to transport a racing greyhound. After his retirement from Parliament a former member of the

Nicklin Ministry The Nicklin Ministry was a ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Country Party Premier Frank Nicklin. It succeeded the Gair Ministry on 12 August 1957 following the defeat of both Labor and the QLP at the state election held ...

noted that "there were few crimes

ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

has not, at some time committed". After allegations that Mann had been involved in a corrupt tendering process in relation to sewerage contracts at Redcliffe, A royal commission was established to investigate the matter but in the end, Mann was exonerated. Loyalty and mateship were important to Mann though. In 1972, he handed back his life membership of the Labor Party after they disendorsed sitting members

Ed Casey Edmund Denis Casey (2 January 1933 – 1 May 2006), known as Ed, was best known as the leader of the Australian Labor Party in Queensland between 1978 and 1982. He also served as Primary Industries Minister in the government of Wayne Goss betwe ...

, Col Bennett, and

Merv Thackeray Mervyn Herbert (Merv) Thackeray (20 October 1925 – 7 June 2014) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1957 until 1972, representing Keppel (1957–1960) and Rockhampton ...

Personal life

Mann married Ellen Maria Hansen on the 25 June 1919 and together had one son and seven daughters. He was a member of the

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) is one of the largest fraternal movements in the United Kingdom, The order started in 1822 and has since spread throughout the former British Empire and elsewhere in the world. It is known as the ...

and head and life member of the Caledonian Society. A generous benefactor of the disadvantaged, Mann gave a substantial part of his parliamentary salary to the poorer residents of Spring Hill during the depression of the late 1930s. Mann died at Brisbane in early January, 1973. During the motion-of-condolence debate after Mann's death, former

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and National Party member of parliament,

Don Lane Don Lane (born Morton Donald Isaacson, 13 November 1933 – 22 October 2009) was an American-born talk show host and singer, best known for his television career in Australia, especially for hosting ''Tonight with Don Lane'' and '' The Don Lane ...

noted "he was fair dinkum to his mates. He was open handed towards his friends and constituents, and if any were "down and out", or destitute for money or help in the home, he would be the first to give assistance from his own pocket."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, John Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1896 births 1973 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 20th-century Australian politicians