James Hutchison (Australian politician)

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James Hutchison (20 April 1859 – 6 December 1909) was a Labor representative in the South Australian House of Assembly and the Australian House of Representatives.

Hutchison was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, received a primary educated and was eventually apprenticed as a compositor on the Daily Free Press and attended the mechanics' institute. He migrated to South Australia in 1884 with fellow worker, John McPherson and they found work on the South Australian Register. In 1886 he married Mary Jane Trebilcock. In 1888, Hutchison and McPherson were sacked for taking part in a strike over their paper's opposition to union labor. In 1889 Hutchison established a press, Hutchison, Craker & Smith with two other sacked compositors and in 1890 began publishing a satirical paper, Quiz.[1]

[edit] Politicical career

In 1898, McPherson who had been elected as the United Labor Party member for the seat of East Adelaide in the House of Assembly died and Hutchison won the subsequent by-election. In the House he supported the federation of Australia and White Australia. In his opposition to a bill authorising the take-over and electrification of some of Adelaide's horse tram lines, he made remarks about Charles Tucker, a supporter of the bill, which led Tucker to sue for libel, backrupting Hutchison in April 1902. He lost his seat at the May 1903 election.[1]

At the 1903 election, he won the House of Representatives seat of Hindmarsh. From November 1908 until June 1909 Hutchison was an honorary minister in the first Fisher ministry representing the Minister for Defence in the House of Representatives. He died suddenly in Melbourne from "inflammation of the kidneys and gall bladder", survived by his wife and six children.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Edgar, Suzanne (1983). Hutchison, James (1859 - 1909). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
Parliament of Australia
New division Member for Hindmarsh
1903 – 1909		 Succeeded by
William Archibald


Persondata
NAME Hutchison, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH 20 April 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH Aberdeen, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH 6 December 1909
PLACE OF DEATH Melbourne