John Quirk (politician)

John Quirk (18 May 1870 – 13 December 1938) was an Australian politician.

He was born at Balmain in Sydney to dairyman John Quirk and Margaret, née McClapperty. After attending st josephs School in Rozelle, he joined the Postmaster-General's department in 1886 and adopted a long-running position at the Balmain post-office. In 1889 he married Sarah Gaillie in Sydney, with whom he had five children. A founder of the Letter Carriers' Union (which became the Postal Workers' Union), he was also a foundation member of the parlimant

Labor League in 1893. In 1917 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Rozelle. With the introduction of proportional representation he became one of the members for Balmain from 1920 to 1927, when he returned to Rozelle. Rozelle was abolished in 1930 and Quirk moved back to the seat of Balmain. He had married his second wife, Mary Deal, around 1927, and she succeeded him as the Labor MP on his death in 1938.[1]

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