Joseph Thomas Davies (29 May 1880 – 16 July 1954) was an Australian trade unionist and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1917 to 1924, representing the seat of Guildford.
Joseph Davies | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia | |
| In office 29 September 1917 – 22 March 1924 | |
| Preceded by | William Johnson |
| Succeeded by | William Johnson |
| Constituency | Guildford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 May 1880 Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 16 July 1954 (aged 74) Claremont, Western Australia, Australia |
| Political party | Labor (to 1917) National Labor (1917–1924) Nationalist (1924–?) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (1948) |
Early life edit
Davies was born in Pontypridd, Wales, to Elizabeth Olivia (née Morgan) and Joseph Edward Davies. He began working in the coal mines of South Wales as a boy, and then in 1899 emigrated to Australia. Davies settled in Perth, where he worked as a labourer (and later boilermaker) at the Midland Railway Workshops. He was involved in various railway trade unions, and in 1911 began working full-time as a union official. Davies also served on the West Guildford Road Board from 1907.[1]
Politics edit
Davies left the Labor Party in the aftermath of the 1916 split on conscription, joining the newly formed National Labor Party.[1] He entered parliament at the 1917 state election, defeating William Johnson (the sitting Labor member and a former party leader) in the seat of Guildford. Davies was re-elected at the 1921 election, albeit with a reduced majority. However, in 1924 William Johnson reclaimed the seat for the Labor Party.[2] Davies attempted to re-enter parliament at the 1924 and 1926 Legislative Council elections, standing as a Nationalist in Metropolitan-Suburban Province, but was defeated on both occasions.[1] He made one final run for parliament at the 1948 Guildford-Midland by-election, standing as an independent, but polled just 0.9 percent of the vote.[2] Davies died in Perth in 1954, aged 74. He had married Mary Theresa Brown in 1903, with whom he had ten children.[1]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Joseph Thomas Davies, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ a b Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.