William James Beckett

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(10 June 1870 – 7 May 1965) was an Australian politician. Born in the

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 ...

suburb of

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a po ...

, to Irish-born taxi proprietor Samuel Beckett and Scottish-born Margaret Cameron, he attended both state and private schools before becoming a second-hand furniture dealer at

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

with his brother Henry. On 22 February 1893, he married Alice Maud Street, with whom he had two children. In 1914, 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 C ...

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 la ...

member for Melbourne North. That year he was also elected to Fitzroy City Council, where he served until 1932 (mayor 1921–22, 1925–26). From July to November 1924 he was a minister without portfolio in the

Victorian government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

, and from May 1927 to November 1928, and from December 1929 to June 1931, he was Minister for Forests and Public Health. From around 1930, he lived in St Kilda. Defeated at the Victorian Legislative Council election in June 1931, Beckett stood unsuccessfully for the Labor Party in the seat of Maribyrnong in the federal election held later that year. In 1934, Beckett was re-elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for Melbourne East, switching to

in 1940. From 1937 to 1943, he was the Labor Party leader in the Council. He held his seat until he retired in 1952, and in 1953 he was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. Beckett died at St Kilda in 1965 and is buried in the

St Kilda Cemetery St Kilda Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria. History St Kilda Cemetery covers a large block bordered by Dandenong Road, Hotham Street, Alma Road and Alexandra Street. It is bounded by a historic wall and conta ...

References

1870 births 1965 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Mayors of places in Victoria (Australia) Members of the Victorian Legislative Council {{Australia-Labor-Victoria-MP-stub