Albert Green
Encyclopedia
Albert Ernest Green was an Australian politician. He arrived in Western Australia in 1895, and represented the Kalgoorlie
area in both state and federal parliaments for the Australian Labor Party
, as well as serving as Minister for Defence
and later Postmaster-General in the Scullin Ministry
.
, Victoria, but left school to work for a telephone company in Ballarat
and later in the family's bricklaying business. He travelled in the United States and Central America between 1889 and 1895 and as a result was known as "Texas". He was active in the brickmasons' society at San Francisco, and it was even suggested by one contemporary source that he had assisted revolutionary insurgents in Guatemala
. In June 1895, he moved to Western Australia and established a branch of the Australian Natives Association
(A.N.A.) in Perth
. In November 1895, he became a postal clerk in the gold rush
town of Coolgardie
. He was soon transferred to nearby Kalgoorlie
, where he founded branches of the A.N.A. and the Post and Telegraphists' Union
and became involved in local Labour
politics. He married Emily Eleanor Berry in January 1899 at St John's Church, Kalgoorlie
seat of Kalgoorlie
in the 1911 elections
, following the retirement of the independent member, Norbert Keenan. In December 1913, he resigned to seek pre-selection for the Federal seat of Kalgoorlie
but lost to Hugh Mahon
. He was re-elected to the state seat in October 1914 and held it to March 1921, when he was defeated by the independent Nationalist candidate John Boyland. Between March 1921 and December 1922 he worked for the Westralian Worker newspaper. He won the federal Kalgoorlie seat at the 1922 elections
, defeating the incumbent Nationalist member George Foley
, and held it until his death.
Green campaigned for a strong air force
and was appointed Minister for Defence
in the Scullin government
in October 1929. Despite the onset of the Great Depression
, he implemented a training scheme for Australian pilots and purchased several aircraft. He also abolished compulsory military service. In February 1931, following the resignation of Joseph Lyons
, he was appointed Postmaster-General and Minister for Works and Railways. He was upset by Lyons' defection from the Labor Party and, according to Geoffrey Bolton
, Green chased Lyons's train along the Canberra railway station
platform shouting "For God's sake, don't do it, Joe!" In opposition after the 1931 elections
, he campaigned for fellow Western Australian John Curtin
to be elected party leader.
Green died at East Coolgardie on 2 October 1940, survived by his wife and three sons and a daughter.
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
area in both state and federal parliaments for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, as well as serving as Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
and later Postmaster-General in the Scullin Ministry
Scullin Ministry
The Scullin Ministry was the twentieth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 22 October 1929 to 6 January 1932.Australian Labor Party*Rt Hon James Scullin, MP: Prime Minister, Minister for External Affairs, Minister for Industry...
.
Biography
Green was born and went to primary school in AvocaAvoca, Victoria
Avoca is a town in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia, north west of Ballarat. It is one of two main towns in the Pyrenees Shire, the other being Beaufort to the south. At the 2006 census, Avoca had a population of 951.-Geography:...
, Victoria, but left school to work for a telephone company in Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
and later in the family's bricklaying business. He travelled in the United States and Central America between 1889 and 1895 and as a result was known as "Texas". He was active in the brickmasons' society at San Francisco, and it was even suggested by one contemporary source that he had assisted revolutionary insurgents in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. In June 1895, he moved to Western Australia and established a branch of the Australian Natives Association
Australian Natives Association
The Australian Natives' Association , a mutual society was founded in Melbourne, Australia in April 1871. The Association played a leading role in the movement for Australian federation in the last 20 years of the 19th century. In 1900 it had a membership of 17,000, mainly in Victoria.The ANA...
(A.N.A.) in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. In November 1895, he became a postal clerk in the gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
town of Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
. He was soon transferred to nearby Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
, where he founded branches of the A.N.A. and the Post and Telegraphists' Union
Communication Workers Union of Australia
The Communication Workers Union of Australia is a trade union in Australia. It is a division of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of Australia, and is affiliated with Union Network International....
and became involved in local Labour
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
politics. He married Emily Eleanor Berry in January 1899 at St John's Church, Kalgoorlie
Political career
Green won the Western Australian Legislative AssemblyWestern Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Kalgoorlie
Electoral district of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.The district includes not only the town of Kalgoorlie, but significant parts of the outback in central and eastern Western Australia....
in the 1911 elections
Western Australian state election, 1911
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 3 October 1911 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Opposition Leader John Scaddan, defeated the conservative Ministerialist government led by Premier Frank Wilson...
, following the retirement of the independent member, Norbert Keenan. In December 1913, he resigned to seek pre-selection for the Federal seat of Kalgoorlie
Division of Kalgoorlie
The Division of Kalgoorlie was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia, named after the city of Kalgoorlie. The Division, which was proclaimed in 1900 as one of the original 75 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election, covered most of the land area of...
but lost to Hugh Mahon
Hugh Mahon
Hugh Mahon was an Irish-born Australian politician and a member of the first Commonwealth Parliament for the Australian Labor Party...
. He was re-elected to the state seat in October 1914 and held it to March 1921, when he was defeated by the independent Nationalist candidate John Boyland. Between March 1921 and December 1922 he worked for the Westralian Worker newspaper. He won the federal Kalgoorlie seat at the 1922 elections
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...
, defeating the incumbent Nationalist member George Foley
George Foley
George James Foley was an Australian politician from Western Australia. He was the member for the Western Australian seat of Mount Leonora from 1911 until 1920, initially for the Labor Party until 1917 when he joined the National Labor Party...
, and held it until his death.
Green campaigned for a strong air force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
and was appointed Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
in the Scullin government
Scullin Ministry
The Scullin Ministry was the twentieth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 22 October 1929 to 6 January 1932.Australian Labor Party*Rt Hon James Scullin, MP: Prime Minister, Minister for External Affairs, Minister for Industry...
in October 1929. Despite the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, he implemented a training scheme for Australian pilots and purchased several aircraft. He also abolished compulsory military service. In February 1931, following the resignation of Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
, he was appointed Postmaster-General and Minister for Works and Railways. He was upset by Lyons' defection from the Labor Party and, according to Geoffrey Bolton
Geoffrey Bolton
Geoffrey Curgenven Bolton AO is an Australian historian born on 5 November 1931 in North Perth , Western Australia. He attended Wesley College, Perth from 1943 to 1947. He has been publishing works on Australian history since 1952, and has authored 13 books, most recently Land of Vision and Mirage:...
, Green chased Lyons's train along the Canberra railway station
Canberra railway station
Canberra railway station is located in Kingston, Australian Capital Territory. The station is the terminus for CountryLink rail services from Sydney...
platform shouting "For God's sake, don't do it, Joe!" In opposition after the 1931 elections
Australian federal election, 1931
Federal elections were held in Australia on 19 December 1931. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
, he campaigned for fellow Western Australian John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
to be elected party leader.
Green died at East Coolgardie on 2 October 1940, survived by his wife and three sons and a daughter.