Sir James Arthur Kennedy (1882–1954) was an Australian politician and sportsman. Kennedy served as a minister in the

Dunstan Saint Dunstan (c. 909 – 19 May 988) was an English bishop. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury, Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restor ...

and Hollway Victorian state governments in the 1940s. He played

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

for

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

and

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

during the early 1900s. He was the brother of fellow footballer

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

Biography

Kennedy was born 5 February 1882 to James and Emma Kennedy in

Parkville, Victoria Parkville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Merri-bek, M ...

. He first attended school at Errol Street State School before receiving a scholarship to attend Parkville Grammar School. He later attended Scotch College, graduating in 1897. In 1913 he was married to Ann Taylor Biggins at the

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

. They later had two daughters.

Sporting achievements

Australian rules football

In 1901 Kennedy joined Essendon in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

. Making his debut in Round 13, he played three matches for the club in the

1901 VFL season The 1901 VFL season was the fifth season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 4 May until 7 September, and comprised a 17-ga ...

. After several seasons away from the VFL, Kennedy joined Carlton in 1905, a year after his brother Ted had arrived at the club. His first year with Carlton was his most successful in the VFL, playing 18 matches out of a possible 19 including a preliminary final appearance. He appeared in a further five matches during the 1906 and 1907 seasons.

Cricket

Kennedy played as a batsman for the Carlton Cricket Club. He was later president of the

Brighton Cricket Club Brighton Cricket Club was based at Brighton, Sussex and was briefly a top-class team, playing seven matches between 1791 and 1814 which have been given first-class cricket status. It is often seen as being representative of Sussex as a county.

and in 1945 was appointed a trustee of the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

Working life

Soon after finishing his schooling in 1897 Kennedy was employed by the British Australasian Tobacco Company. By 1903 he had moved to the Melbourne Electric Supply Company and had gained accountancy qualifications. By 1920 he was chief accountant of MESC and secretary of the company seven years later. In 1940 he had branched out into public practice, opening an office on

Collins Street, Melbourne Collins Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was laid out in the first survey of Melbourne, the original 1837 Hoddle Grid, and soon became the most desired address in the city. Collins ...

Public life

Brighton City Council

In 1928 Kennedy became a member of the Brighton City Council, serving as Mayor between 1932 and 1933. He retired as a councillor in 1945. While Mayor he cancelled the annual ball to buy shoes for disadvantaged children.

Victorian Parliament

Kennedy was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

for the

Higinbotham Province Higinbotham Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1937 to 2006, with members serving alternating eight-year terms. It was considered a safe seat for the Liberal throughout ...

in 1937 representing the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

. Under Premier

Albert Dunstan Sir Albert Arthur Dunstan, KCMG (26 July 1882 – 14 April 1950) was an Australian politician. A member of the Country Party (now National Party), Dunstan was the 33rd premier of Victoria. His term as premier was the second-longest in th ...

he served in the transport and mines portfolios between September 1943 until October 1945. He later served under Premier Tom Hollway as Minister for public works between 1947 and 1950 and as mines minister during 1948.

Church activities

Kennedy attended the Brighton Congregational Church. As an active churchgoer, Kennedy was deeply involved in various Christian causes. From 1902 he served as a Sunday school teacher at the Brighton church, later acting as church secretary. He was for a time vice-president of the Sunday Christian Observance Council. He was treasurer of the Victorian Congregational Union for over twenty years and was president of the Congregationalist Union of Australia and New Zealand in 1940 and 1941.

Honours

In January 1950 Kennedy was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

Death and legacy

Kennedy died on 20 November 1954 at the

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

home of his daughter. He was buried at the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other nec ...

. A commemorative window was dedicated to him at the Brighton Congregational Church in 1957.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, James 1882 births 1954 deaths Carlton Football Club players Essendon Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian sportsperson-politicians Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Vice-Presidents of the Board of Land and Works Mayors of places in Victoria (Australia) Australian Congregationalists Australian Knights Bachelor Victoria (Australia) local councillors Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria 20th-century Australian politicians Burials at Melbourne General Cemetery People from Parkville, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne Australian accountants Australian people of English descent Australian people of Scottish descent