William Dartnell Johnson
| William Dartnell Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 October 1870 Whanganui, New Zealand |
| Died | 26 January 1948 |
| Resting place | Karrakatta Cemetery |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Jessie Elizabeth (McCallum Stewart) Johnson |
William Dartnell Johnson (1870-1948) was a Labor politician from Western Australia.
Biography
Early life
William Dartnell Johnson was born on 9 October 1870 in Whanganui, New Zealand.[1] His father was George Groheim Johnson, a plumber, and his mother, Elizabeth Ann McCormish.[1] He went to the Turakina State School in Turakina until the age of thirteen.[1]
Career
From the age of thirteen to the age of sixteen, he worked in a post office.[1] He then worked as a carpenter, emigrating to Western Australia in 1894, at the age of twenty-four.[1] A year later, he moved to the Goldfields, settling in Kalgoorlie.[1]
There, he founded the Kalgoorlie branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, and he served as its first President.[1] He also helped establish the Kalgoorlie, Boulder and District Trades and Labor Council, and served as its secretary for two years.[1] He then served as the first business manager of the Westralian Worker, a newspaper in Kalgoorlie.[1]
He became a member of the Australian Labor Party.[1] From 1901 to 1905, he served as the Labor MLA for the Electoral district of Kalgoorlie in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.[1][2] During his tenure, he spearheaded the Midland Railway Workshops.[1] In 1904, he served as Western Australia's Minister for Works, and later as regional Minister for Mines and Railways.[1][3][4] He then became the leader of the Western Australian Labor Party, but quit his role in October 1905.[1]
From 1906 to 1917, he served as MLA for the Electoral district of Guildford in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.[1] In October 1911, he began a term as Minister for Works, and from November 1914 he served as Minister for Lands and Agriculture.[1] In the assembly, his proposal to build a railway line going North from Esperance, Western Australia rejected.[1] In January 1915, he helped pass the Industries Assistance Act to help farmers whose livelihood had been jeopardized by the recent drought.[1] However, he lost his ministerial portfolio as a result of the Nevanas affair.[1] Moreover, he lost his seat in the assembly to Joseph Davies (1866-1954) as a result of his opposition to the conscription of Western Australians in the First World War.[1]
From 1924 to 1930, he served again as MLA for the Electoral district of Guildford in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, and from 1930 to 1940 as MLA for the Electoral district of Guildford-Midland.[1] He also served as Speaker of the Assembly from August 1938 to August 1939, and as Chairman of the parliamentary party from 1924 to 1948.[1] He was a 'state socialist' and rejected the proposed secession of Western Australia.[1]
Personal life
On 27 November 1901, he married Jessie Elizabeth Stewart, née McCallum, who had been recently widowed.[1] They had a son and three daughters.[1]
Death
He died on 26 January 1948, and he was buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 J. R. Robertson, 'Johnson, William Dartnell (1870–1948)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 18 March 2014
- ↑ Parliamentary Library Western Australia: Kalgoorlie Electorate Profile
- ↑ Western Australia Ministers for Works
- ↑ Western Australia Ministers of Railways & Transports