Robert Mahony (3 October 1872 – 8 February 1961) was an Irish-born Australian politician. He was born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

to shipwright William Mahony and Bridget Manning. The family migrated to

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 ...

in 1877 and Robert was educated at a Balmain convent before becoming a boilermaker. In July 1895 he married Margaret Jane Mahony, with whom he had eight children. President of the Balmain Labour League in 1891, he was foundation secretary of the Ship, Painters and Dockers' Union in 1900 and was general secretary of the federated union from 1915 to 1945. He was active in the campaign against

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

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 was campaign director for John Storey. From 1921 to 1961 he was 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 of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

, serving as party whip from 1922 to 1961. Mahony died in Balmain in 1961. His brother, William Mahony, was a member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahony, Robert 1872 births 1961 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Irish emigrants to colonial Australia