Frank Connors
Encyclopedia
Francis Patrick Connors (12 January 1888 - 6 November 1963) was an Australia
n politician and trade unionist. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1930 until 1932, representing the electorate of Dulwich Hill
.
Connors was born at Paterson
, and educated at Morpeth
in the Hunter Valley
. He was an engineer by profession, but began working as a union official during his 30s. Prior to entering politics, he served as assistant state secretary and an organiser of the Australasian Society of Engineers from 1924 until 1929. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Dulwich Hill
at the 1930 state election
, defeating Nationalist John Ness, but lost the seat to Ness amidst the statewide Labor defeat of 1932. Connors again contested Dulwich Hill in 1935, but again lost to Ness.
Connors returned to the trade union movement after his parliamentary defeat, serving as state secretary of the Australian Society of Engineers from 1932 until 1943. He subsequently served as its federal secretary from 1943 until 1953. He remained heavily involved in Labor politics; he was expelled from the party by a special conference in 1936 and joined the left-wing splinter Industrial Labor Party
. Upon the readmission of the ILP into Labor in 1939, he was elected to the Labor central executive, but in 1940 joined the State Labor Party
split, serving on its executive until 1941. He rejoined the Labor Party soon after, and again served on the official Labor executive from 1942 until 1953.
Connors died in 1963, and was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Rookwood Cemetery
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician and trade unionist. He was an 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...
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
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 1930 until 1932, representing the electorate of Dulwich Hill
Electoral district of Dulwich Hill
Dulwich Hill was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1913, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill. With the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into the multi-member electorate of...
.
Connors was born at Paterson
Paterson, New South Wales
Paterson is a small township in the lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia. Located within Dungog Shire it is situated on the Paterson River. At the 2006 census, Paterson had a population of 345 people...
, and educated at Morpeth
Morpeth, New South Wales
Morpeth is a suburb of the City of Maitland Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern banks of the Hunter River at the border between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs...
in the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
. He was an engineer by profession, but began working as a union official during his 30s. Prior to entering politics, he served as assistant state secretary and an organiser of the Australasian Society of Engineers from 1924 until 1929. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly for Dulwich Hill
Electoral district of Dulwich Hill
Dulwich Hill was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1913, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill. With the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into the multi-member electorate of...
at the 1930 state election
New South Wales state election, 1930
The 1930 New South Wales state election was held on 25 October 1930. The election was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting...
, defeating Nationalist John Ness, but lost the seat to Ness amidst the statewide Labor defeat of 1932. Connors again contested Dulwich Hill in 1935, but again lost to Ness.
Connors returned to the trade union movement after his parliamentary defeat, serving as state secretary of the Australian Society of Engineers from 1932 until 1943. He subsequently served as its federal secretary from 1943 until 1953. He remained heavily involved in Labor politics; he was expelled from the party by a special conference in 1936 and joined the left-wing splinter Industrial Labor Party
Industrial Labor Party
The Industrial Labor Party or Heffron Labor Party was a political party active in New South Wales, Australia, between 1938 and 1939. It was a splinter group of the Australian Labor Party and was formed by Bob Heffron after he and Carlo Lazzarini attempted to depose the party leader Jack Lang...
. Upon the readmission of the ILP into Labor in 1939, he was elected to the Labor central executive, but in 1940 joined the State Labor Party
State Labor Party
The State Labor Party , was an Australian political party which operated exclusively in the state of New South Wales in the early 1940s. The party was initially a far-left faction of the Australian Labor Party, strongly opposed to the right-wing faction of the party dominated by Jack Lang, former...
split, serving on its executive until 1941. He rejoined the Labor Party soon after, and again served on the official Labor executive from 1942 until 1953.
Connors died in 1963, and was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.