Ted Needham

Ted Needham
Senator for Western Australia
In office
1 July 1907  30 June 1920
In office
1 July 1923  30 June 1929
Personal details
Born 30 September 1872
Lancashire, England
Died 26 October 1956 (aged 84)
Nationality English Australian
Political party Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s) Lillian needham nee Lillian gosden
Children 2 boys
Occupation Boilermaker

Edward "Ted" Needham (30 September 1872 26 October 1956) was an English-born Australian politician. Born in Lancashire, he was educated at Catholic schools before becoming a coal miner and shipyard worker. He migrated to Australia in 1900, becoming a boilermaker in Fremantle, Western Australia. He was a union and Labor Party official, and married a sister of future Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin. In 1904, he was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Fremantle, serving until 1905. In 1906, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator for Western Australia. He was the only one of Western Australia's six Labor senators to remain loyal to the party after the 1916 split over conscription; he lost his seat in 1919 as a result. Re-elected in 1922, his second Senate term lasted until his defeat in 1928, taking effect in 1929. In 1933, he returned to the Legislative Assembly as the member for Perth, shifting to North Perth in 1950. He left the Assembly in 1953. Needham died in 1956.[1]

References

  1. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
Party political offices
Preceded by
George Pearce
Leader of the Australian Labor Party in the Senate
1926–1929
Succeeded by
John Daly