Edward Michael Hanlon (1 October 1887 – 15 January 1952) was an Australian politician and soldier, who was

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

from 1946 until his death in 1952. Hanlon was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in the

Colony of Queensland The Colony of Queensland was a colony of the British Empire from 1859 to 1901, when it became a State in the federal Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. At its greatest extent, the colony included the present-day State of Queensland, ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

parents. He lived there throughout his life. After leaving school, he worked in the railways, and soon became a union official. In the

1912 Brisbane General Strike The 1912 Brisbane General Strike in Queensland, Australia, began when members of the Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees' Association were dismissed when they wore union badges to work on 18 January 1912. They then marched to Brisbane ...

he played a prominent part as a militant. Between 1915 and 1919 Hanlon served in the 9th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division of the Australian Imperial Force, whose traditions and battle honours are proudly carried by the modern

9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment The 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment (9 RQR) is a Reserve light infantry battalion of the Australian Army, raised and based in the state of Queensland. It is part of the Royal Queensland Regiment and is currently attached to the 11th B ...

. He served under Captain Cec Carroll during the war; in 1934 Hanlon (then Minister for Home Affairs) would appoint Carroll as the

Queensland Police Commissioner The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

. In 1926 Queensland state election, Hanlon was elected to 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 ...

, representing the Labor Party as member for

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

. After two decades and several cabinet portfolios (notably the

Health Ministry A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

, where he worked in tandem with doctor and administrator Sir

Raphael Cilento Sir Raphael West Cilento (2 December 189315 April 1985), often known as "Ray",Mark Finnane, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 17, Melbourne University Press, pp 216-217. was a notable Australian medical practitioner and public heal ...

), he became Queensland's Premier, once the septuagenarian Frank Cooper had retired. Over the years Hanlon's outlook mellowed, and he shifted to the political right. Having begun as a union militant, he ended up, as Premier, sending the police to suppress union demonstrations during the 1948 Queensland Railway strike. On 17 June 1951, while in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, Hanlon contracted

bronchial pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity of ...

and spent three weeks in hospital before returning to

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 , established_ ...

on 5 July. On 8 August, Hanlon was admitted to the

Mater private hospital The Mater Private Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Príobháideach an Mater) is a private hospital business. Its main hospital is located just to the east of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. In addition to the main hospital ...

and received oxygen. After surviving, doctors warned that Hanlon would be ill for a long period of time. Following this, he took six months' leave of absence from the premiership. In October, it appeared that Hanlon was well enough to leave the hospital. However, suffering another setback, Hanlon remained in hospital until his death in January 1952. After his death in January 1952, he was succeeded by

Vince Gair Vincent Clair Gair (25 February 190111 November 1980) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was e ...

, the last leader of the state Labor Party administration which had been in power continuously ever since 1932. Hanlon was accorded a

State funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

which took place from St Stephen's Cathedral to the

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

.Hanlon Edward Michael
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

Gallery

Image:StateLibQld 1 100292.jpg, Portrait of Ned Hanlon in the 9th battalion, 1917 File:StateLibQld 1 100488.jpg, Hanlon in Egypt (1917) Image:StateLibQld 1 100496.jpg, Ned Hanlon (undated) File:StateLibQld 1 100492.jpg, Hanlon addressing the Queensland Legislative Assembly on the occasion of the Industrial Law Amendment Bill, 1948. Image:Nedhanlonheadstone.JPG, Ned Hanlon's headstone at Brisbane's Toowong Cemetery. File:StateLibQld 1 103348 Edward Michael Hanlon.jpg, Hanlon as a minister in the

William Forgan Smith William Forgan Smith (15 April 188725 September 1953) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of the state of Queensland from 1932 to 1942. He came to dominate politics in the state during the 1930s, and his populism, firm leadership ...

cabinet, c. 1939.

References

Gregory, Hanlon, Edward Michael (Ned) (1887 - 1952)
– ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanlon, Ned 1887 births 1952 deaths Premiers of Queensland Deputy Premiers of Queensland Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Australian people of Irish descent Politicians from Brisbane Burials at Toowong Cemetery Treasurers of Queensland Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians