David O'Keefe (Australian politician)
David O'Keefe CMG | |
---|---|
Senator for Tasmania | |
In office 29 March 1901 – 31 December 1906 | |
In office 1 July 1910 – 30 June 1920 | |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Denison | |
In office 16 December 1922 – 14 November 1925 | |
Preceded by | William Laird Smith |
Succeeded by | Sir John Gellibrand |
Personal details | |
Born | Longford, Tasmania | 21 August 1864
Died | 21 July 1943 Brighton, Victoria, Australia | (aged 78)
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Australian Labor Party |
Occupation | Journalist |
David John O'Keefe, CMG (21 August 1864 – 21 July 1943) was an Australian politician who served in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He was a Senator from Tasmania from 1901 to 1906 and 1910 to 1920, and then represented the Division of Denison in the House of Representatives from 1922 to 1925.
Early life[]
Born in Longford, Tasmania, he was educated at state schools before becoming a farm worker and miner. He was involved in the labour movement as a journalist. He lived in Zeehan, Tasmania from 1892, and was editor of the Zeehan and Dundas Herald between 1894 and 1899.[1] He was also an organiser of the Australian Workers' Union.
Federal politics[]
In 1901, O'Keefe was elected to the Australian Senate, running with endorsement from the Protectionist Party, as there was no Labour Party in Tasmania at the time; however, he joined the Australian Labor Party caucus in Parliament.[2] He was defeated in 1906, but re-elected in 1910, serving until his defeat in 1919 (taking effect in 1920). O'Keefe served as Chairman of Committees from 1910 to 1914.[3]
In 1922, he was elected to the House of Representatives, defeating Labor-turned-Nationalist MP William Laird Smith for the seat of Denison. He was the first Tasmanian to have served in both houses of federal parliament.[citation needed]
Later life[]
He was defeated in 1925 by Nationalist Sir John Gellibrand and worked in Western Australia for some time before returning to Tasmania in 1931. In 1934 O'Keefe was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly, immediately taking the position of Speaker. He held the Speaker's position until 1942 and died the following year.[4]
References[]
- ^ "O'Keefe, David John (1864–1943)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
- ^ "GOVERNMENT AND PROTECTION". Daily Telegraph. XXVI (293). Tasmania, Australia. 8 December 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 25 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Appendix 3―Deputy Presidents and Chairmen of Committees (1901–2009)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
- 1864 births
- 1943 deaths
- Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania
- Members of the Australian Senate
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Denison
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Speakers of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
- Australian people of Irish descent
- Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 20th-century Australian politicians
- Australia Labor Party, Senator stubs
- Australia Labor Party, Representative stubs