Jack Beasley

The Right Honourable Jack Beasley
Member of the Australian Parliament for West Sydney
In office 17 November 1928 – 14 August 1946
Preceded by	William Lambert
Succeeded by	William O'Connor
Personal details
Born	9 November 1895 Werribee, Victoria
Died	2 September 1949 (aged 53) Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor (1928–31) Lang Labor (1931–36) Labor (1936–40) Lang Labor (1940–41) Labor (1941–46)
Occupation	Unionist

John Albert "Jack" Beasley (9 November 1895 – 2 September 1949) was an Australian politician.^[1]

Early life

Beasley was born in Werribee, Victoria, but moved to Sydney with his family as a child. He had a primary education in Catholic schools then became an apprentice electrician. He worked as an electrician for the Sydney City Council, and became President of the Electrical Trades Union (ETU). From 1922 to 1928 he was President of the Trades and Labour Council of New South Wales (now Unions NSW). At this time he was under the influence of Jock Garden and was briefly a member of the Communist Party of Australia, but he soon left and became an influential member of the Australian Labor Party.^[2]

Political career

In 1928 Beasley was elected for the safe Labor seat of West Sydney. When Labor under Jim Scullin won the 1929 federal election, he became an Honorary Minister (minister without portfolio), but he resigned this position in 1931 in protest at the Scullin government's policies in response to the Great Depression. He became the leading lieutenant of the radical Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, and when Lang decided to break with the federal ALP Beasley resigned from the ALP Caucus and became leader of the Lang Labor party in federal Parliament. In December 1931 he led his group across the floor of the House and brought down the Scullin Government on a vote of confidence. This earned him the nickname "Stabber Jack" for the rest of his life.

From 1932 to 1936 Beasley led the Lang group in opposition to both the United Australia Party government of Joseph Lyons and Federal Labor. In 1935 Scullin retired and in early 1936 the new federal leader, John Curtin, brought about a reunification of the NSW and Federal parties, and Beasley joined the Opposition front bench. But in 1940 Lang again broke off relations with the federal party, although by this time he was no longer Premier and no longer had the support of the NSW Branch as a whole. Nevertheless, Beasley again supported Lang and became leader of the so-called Non-Communist Labor Party in federal Parliament.

Lang Labor MPs in 1935 including Beasley

In 1941 Curtin again brought Lang's followers (although not Lang himself) back into the Labor Party. When Curtin became Prime Minister in October 1941, he made Beasley Minister for Supply and Development (later Minister for Supply and Shipping), a vital portfolio in wartime. Beasley proved to be a highly competent minister and played a leading role in co-ordinating Australia's wartime economy and supporting the Allied forces in the Pacific Theatre. Due to ill health he exchanged positions with William Ashley in February 1945 to take the undemanding Vice-President of the Executive Council.^[2]

When Curtin died in July 1945, his successor Ben Chifley made Beasley Minister for Defence, but Chifley had been a minister in the Scullin Government and had been the leading opponent of Lang in the NSW ALP through the 1930s. He had not forgiven Beasley and did not want him in the Cabinet, so in 1946 Beasley was appointed High Commissioner in London. He was appointed to the Privy Council in 1946.^[2] and was a leading guest at the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. .^[3] He served as High Commissioner until his sudden death in September 1949 on a visit to Sydney at St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst.

References

1. Beasley was not related to the family of Kim Beazley.
2. Nairn, Bede. "Beasley, John Albert (Jack) (1895–1949)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
3. Royal Collection: Seating plan for the Ball Supper Room http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/royalwedding1947/object.asp?grouping=&exhibs=NONE&object=9000366&row=82&detail=magnify

External links