William Henry Lambert (24 March 1881 – 6 September 1928) was an Australian politician and unionist, serving for one term as Lord Mayor of Sydney in 1921.

Early life

Lambert was born at Swallow Creek, near Orange, on 24 March 1881 to Irish-born

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

James Lambert and Elizabeth, née O'Brien. He received a primary education and subsequently worked as a shearer. He soon became involved with the Australian Workers' Union. On 9 October 1909 he married waitress Bertha Anne McConnell at

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

. In 1915 he became secretary of the AWU's central branch.

Lord Mayor

Lambert was active in the anti-

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 ...

movement during World War I. He was elected to

Sydney Municipal Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842 ...

in December 1918 and was Lord Mayor of Sydney in 1921. He used his casting vote to support Labor policy, and was noted for preferring the Australian flag to the Union Jack.

Federal politics

Lambert was elected to the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of West Sydney in the 1921 by-election following the death of T. J. Ryan, representing the Australian Labor Party. He kept a fairly low profile in Parliament, but became intimately involved in faction politics. His political fortunes declined after Jack Lang became leader of the New South Wales Labor Party. As such, he lost pre-selection for West Sydney in 1928. Lambert told the ''Daily Telegraph Pictorial'' that he had been offered £8000 pounds in 1925 to resign his seat in favour of Ted Theodore. Lambert had denied this when it appeared in the ''Evening News'' in 1925, but the Bruce government nevertheless appointed a royal commissioner, who discounted Lambert's testimony but found that

William Mahony William Mahony may refer to: * William Mahony (politician, born 1877) (1877–1962), member of the Australian House of Representatives, 1915–1927 * William Mahony (New South Wales politician) (1856–1918), member of the New South Wales Legislati ...

had been compensated in such a way. Lambert died on 6 September 1928 of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, William 1881 births 1928 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for West Sydney Australian people of Irish descent 20th-century Australian politicians