John Percy Jones (22 October 1872 – 12 October 1955) was an Australian politician. He was born in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

to coachman Thomas John Jones and Bridget Costello. From the age of eleven he worked on a sheep station at Mona Vale, travelling to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1888 as a butcher's boy. He worked as a cattle drover and brass polish salesman before starting a tailoring firm in 1893. On 22 December 1897 he married Mary Ann Worrall, with whom he had three children. From 1905 to 1907 he was founding president of the

Victorian Socialist Party The Victorian Socialist Party (VSP) was a socialist political party in the Australian state of Victoria during the early 20th century. Most VSP members were also members of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), or later became members. A faction ...

, and in 1910 he 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 ...

as a

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 labour ...

member for

Melbourne East Province Melbourne East Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It was created in June 1904 when Melbourne Province was reduced in size (four members down to two), North Yarra Province and South Yarra Province were abolished. ...

. In 1913 he was a minister without portfolio. He was an outspoken anti-conscriptionist during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and he served as Minister for Public Works and Immigration and

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

in 1924. He was government leader in the Legislative Council from 1927 to 1928 and from 1929 to 1935. He was Minister for Public Works and Immigration and Minister for a Mines from 1927 to 1928 and from 1929 to 1932, when he was expelled from the Labor Party for supporting the

Premiers' Plan The Premiers' Plan was a deflationary economic policy agreed by a meeting of the Premiers of the Australian states in June 1931 to combat the Great Depression in Australia that sparked the 1931 Labor split. Background The Great Depressio ...

. He joined 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 ...

and served again as Public Works and Immigration Minister from 1932 to 1935. Having transferred to South Western Province in 1934, he retired from politics in 1940. Jones died in Parkville in 1955.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, John Percy 1872 births 1955 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Ministers for Health (Victoria) Vice-Presidents of the Board of Land and Works Ministers for Public Works (Victoria)