Bill Lamb
Encyclopedia
The Hon. William Henry Lamb (5 January 1889 – 8 January 1964) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1938 until 1962 and, variously, a member of the Australian Labor Party
(ALP) and the Lang Labor Party
. He was the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
between 1947 and 1959.
. He was the son of a coachbuilder, was educated to elementary level at state schools. From the age of 12 he worked as a grocer's boy and then as a coalminer. At age 19 he became a teacher in NSW rural schools and studied accountancy in his spare time. He was an office manager after 1927. A protege of Jack Lang
, Lamb was an alderman on Auburn Council
between 1932 and 1939 and was the mayor in 1935.
state election, Lamb was elected to the New South Wales Parliament as the Labor member for the new seat of Granville
. He defeated the sitting United Australia Party
member, Claude Fleck. Lamb retained the seat for the next 7 elections but lost Labor Party pre-selection prior to the 1962
state election and retired. He was a supporter of Lang's Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
during the party split of 1941 but did not support the later manifestations of Lang Labor
.
as the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
after the 1947
election and retained the position for 12 years. The parliamentary web site states that he maintained firm control over the assembly and was frequently criticized by the opposition for inflexibility, unnecessary interjections from the chair and bias towards the government.
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1938 until 1962 and, variously, a 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...
(ALP) and the Lang Labor Party
Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
The Australian Labor Party was the second Lang Labor breakaway party, associated with New South Wales Premier Jack Lang. It operated from 1940 to 1941....
. He was the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly, New South Wales's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is Shelley Hancock, who was elected on 3 May 2011...
between 1947 and 1959.
Early life
Lamb was born in Nyngan, New South WalesNyngan, New South Wales
Nyngan [pr: ning-g'n] is a town in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Bogan Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Nyngan had a population of 1,975 people. Nyngan is situated on the Bogan River between Narromine and Bourke, on the junction of the...
. He was the son of a coachbuilder, was educated to elementary level at state schools. From the age of 12 he worked as a grocer's boy and then as a coalminer. At age 19 he became a teacher in NSW rural schools and studied accountancy in his spare time. He was an office manager after 1927. A protege of Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
, Lamb was an alderman on Auburn Council
Auburn Council
Auburn Council is the governing body of a local government area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, about 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district...
between 1932 and 1939 and was the mayor in 1935.
State Parliament
At the 1938New South Wales state election, 1938
The 1938 New South Wales state election was held on 26 March 1938. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 32nd New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting....
state election, Lamb was elected to the New South Wales Parliament as the Labor member for the new seat of Granville
Electoral district of Granville
Granville is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's West. It is currently represented by Tony Issa of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
. He defeated the sitting United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
member, Claude Fleck. Lamb retained the seat for the next 7 elections but lost Labor Party pre-selection prior to the 1962
New South Wales state election, 1962
The 1962 New South Wales state election was held on 3 March 1962. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution...
state election and retired. He was a supporter of Lang's Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist)
The Australian Labor Party was the second Lang Labor breakaway party, associated with New South Wales Premier Jack Lang. It operated from 1940 to 1941....
during the party split of 1941 but did not support the later manifestations of Lang Labor
Lang Labor
Lang Labor was the name commonly used to describe three successive break-away sections of the Australian Labor Party, all led by the New South Wales Labor leader Jack Lang premier of NSW .-Initial opposition to Lang's leadership:...
.
Speaker
Lamb succeeded Daniel ClyneDaniel Clyne
Daniel Clyne was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1927 until 1956 and, variously, a member of the Australian Labor Party and Lang Labor. He was the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1941 and 1947.Clyne was...
as the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly, New South Wales's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is Shelley Hancock, who was elected on 3 May 2011...
after the 1947
New South Wales state election, 1947
The 1947 New South Wales state election was held on 3 May 1947. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1940 redistribution...
election and retained the position for 12 years. The parliamentary web site states that he maintained firm control over the assembly and was frequently criticized by the opposition for inflexibility, unnecessary interjections from the chair and bias towards the government.