Archibald Stewart
Encyclopedia
Archibald Stewart was an Australian trade unionist and official.
Stewart was born at Sebastopol
to Scottish-born parents: miner John Stewart and Anne, née Erskine. His father worked as caretaker of the botanical gardens in Creswick
and he took numerous jobs in his youth. Active in the early labour movement, he struggled to find permanent employment after being placed on an employers' blacklist. On 25 June 1891 he married Mary Edwards at Fitzroy
. He was a member of the Australian Workers' Union
and was its delegate on the Ballarat Trades and Labor Council until 1910. He helped found the Ballarat branch of the Labor Party
in 1902 and was its secretary from 1905 to 1906; he was involved in James Scullin
's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to unseat Alfred Deakin
at the 1906 federal election.
In 1908 Stewart ran for the Victorian Legislative Assembly
, standing unsuccessfully as the Labor candidate for Ballarat East
. He was also narrowly defeated standing in 1910
and 1913
for the federal seat of Grampians
. After the 1910 election he moved to Melbourne
and was elected senior vice-president of the Political Labor Council, later taking on the secretaryship in 1911. In 1914 he was considered one of the "powers behind the throne" of Andrew Fisher
's federal administration, and he was appointed the first secretary of the ALP's federal executive in 1915, serving until 1925. A staunch anti-conscription
ist, he organised opposition to Billy Hughes
' conscription referenda in 1916–17 and avoided a second split over the socialist objective in 1919–21. In 1925 he died at his home in Sandringham
of tuberculosis
.
Stewart was born at Sebastopol
Sebastopol, Victoria
Sebastopol is a southern suburb on the rural-urban fringe of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. It is the second most populated area in urban Ballarat with a population of 8,045 at the 2006 census....
to Scottish-born parents: miner John Stewart and Anne, née Erskine. His father worked as caretaker of the botanical gardens in Creswick
Creswick, Victoria
Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census, Creswick had a population of 2,485...
and he took numerous jobs in his youth. Active in the early labour movement, he struggled to find permanent employment after being placed on an employers' blacklist. On 25 June 1891 he married Mary Edwards at Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
. He was a member of the Australian Workers' Union
Australian Workers' Union
The Australian Workers' Union is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s, and currently has approximately 135,000 members...
and was its delegate on the Ballarat Trades and Labor Council until 1910. He helped found the Ballarat branch of the 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...
in 1902 and was its secretary from 1905 to 1906; he was involved in James Scullin
James Scullin
James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to unseat Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
at the 1906 federal election.
In 1908 Stewart ran for the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
, standing unsuccessfully as the Labor candidate for Ballarat East
Electoral district of Ballarat East
Ballarat East is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 3,323 km² part-urban and part-rural electorate covering areas to the east of the regional centre of Ballarat...
. He was also narrowly defeated standing in 1910
Australian federal election, 1910
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 April 1910. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
and 1913
Australian federal election, 1913
Federal elections were held in Australia on 31 May 1913. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Andrew Fisher was defeated by the opposition Commonwealth Liberal...
for the federal seat of Grampians
Division of Grampians
The Division of Grampians was anAustralian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1922. It was named for the Grampian Ranges in central Victoria, and included the towns of...
. After the 1910 election he moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and was elected senior vice-president of the Political Labor Council, later taking on the secretaryship in 1911. In 1914 he was considered one of the "powers behind the throne" of Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...
's federal administration, and he was appointed the first secretary of the ALP's federal executive in 1915, serving until 1925. A staunch anti-conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
ist, he organised opposition to Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
' conscription referenda in 1916–17 and avoided a second split over the socialist objective in 1919–21. In 1925 he died at his home in Sandringham
Sandringham, Victoria
Sandringham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Sandringham had a population of 8693.-History:...
of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.