Alfred Edden was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Parliament from 1891 until 1920 and held a number of ministerial positions in the Government of New South Wales

Government of New South Wales

The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...

. He was a foundation member of 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...

 but left the party over the question of the solidarity pledge in 1891. He rejoined in 1895 and remained a member until the party split over the question of conscription during World War 1. He then joined the Nationalist Party

Nationalist Party of Australia

The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...

.

Early life

Edden was born in Tamworth, England. He was the son of a coal-miner who died in a mining accident shortly before his death. He had little education and worked as a coal miner from age 10. He migrated with his family to Australia in 1879 and worked in collieries in the Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

 area. After 1879 Edden became an official of the coal miners union and was charged with unlawful assembly during an 1888 strike . He was elected as an alderman of Adamstown

Adamstown, New South Wales

Adamstown is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area....

 Municipal Council of which he was mayor in 1889 and 1891.
Edden was a member of the Oddfellows, Masons and Single Tax League.

State Politics

Edden was selected by the nascent Labor party as its candidate for the seat of Northumberland

Electoral district of Northumberland

Northumberland was an electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1859 to 1913, in the Newcastle area and named after Northumberland County. It elected two members simultaneously between 1880 and 1887 and three members between 1887 and 1894...

 at the 1891 colonial election. He was one of 35 Labor party members elected to the parliament. However, together with 25 of his colleagues he left the party when he was required to sign a pledge to support all caucus decisions. At the 1894 colonial election he successfully contested the newly created seat of Kahibah

Electoral district of Kahibah

Kahibah was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member districts from part of the electoral district of Newcastle and named after the Newcastle suburb of Kahibah. It was abolished in 1920, with the...

 as an Independent Labor candidate. He then rejoined the Labor party and became the deputy leader in 1902

Government

With the election of the New South Wales Labor Government of James McGowen

James McGowen

James Sinclair Taylor McGowen was an Australian politician and the first Labor Premier of New South Wales from 21 October 1910 to 30 June 1913.-Early life and family:...

 in 1910 Edden was appointed the Secretary for Mines. He maintained this position until 1914 when he left the ministry . During the ALP split over conscription in World War I

Conscription in Australia

Conscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood...

 he supported William Holman

William Holman

William Arthur Holman was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War I, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government.-Early life:Holman was born in St Pancras, London,...

 and was expelled from the party. He joined the Nationalist Party

Nationalist Party of Australia

The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...

 but retired from parliament at the 1920 state election.