Frederick Riley (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Frederick John Riley was an Australian political activist and trade unionist.
Riley was born at Stirling
in South Australia
to blacksmith Frederick Riley, an early Labor Party
activist and local councillor, and Susannah, née Williams. He left scohol at twelve and worked as a labourer. During a period in Sydney
he was involved in socialist circles with Harry Holland
. He was imprisoned for a week at Wollongong
in 1914 after ignoring a policeman's demand to stop addressing a free speech public meeting. He became secretary of the Australian Peace Alliance's Victorian council in 1916, and was often fined over involvement in brawls at anti-conscription
demonstrations; on one occasion he received a fine after protecting female speakers, including Vida Goldstein
, from off-duty soldiers.
A founding member and later secretary of the Y Club socialist discussion group, he participated in the 1919 Melbourne
waterfront strike and helped negotiate a settlement. He married Alice Ann Warburton, née Large, on 27 April 1920 in a civil ceremony. In 1922 he was appointed secretary of the Manufacturing Grocers' Employees' Federation of Australia and became a highly successful union leader. From 1931 to 1932 he was President of the Trades Hall Council, and he served as president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1941 to 1942. In 1942 he became an adviser to the Commonwelath prices commissioner. His wife had died in 1940, and on 17 July 1943 he married Annie Elliott Warn.
Riley was a member of the ALP's anti-communist right wing and was refused admission to the 1955 federal conference; despite his non-Catholicism
he joined the Democratic Labor Party
, of which he was Victorian president from 1960 to 1961, when he retired from public life. He died in 1970 at Reservoir
.
Riley was born at Stirling
Stirling, South Australia
Stirling is a town located in the Adelaide Hills. It is administered by the Adelaide Hills Council. Its population is about 2500, though the town has largely merged with neighbouring townships such as Crafers and Aldgate. The towns closely surrounding it are: Aldgate, Crafers, Bridgewater and...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
to blacksmith Frederick Riley, an early 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...
activist and local councillor, and Susannah, née Williams. He left scohol at twelve and worked as a labourer. During a period in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
he was involved in socialist circles with Harry Holland
Harry Holland
Henry Edmund Holland was a New Zealand politician and unionist. He was the first leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.-Early life:...
. He was imprisoned for a week at Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
in 1914 after ignoring a policeman's demand to stop addressing a free speech public meeting. He became secretary of the Australian Peace Alliance's Victorian council in 1916, and was often fined over involvement in brawls at 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...
demonstrations; on one occasion he received a fine after protecting female speakers, including Vida Goldstein
Vida Goldstein
Vida Jane Mary Goldstein was an early Australian feminist politician who campaigned for women's suffrage and social reform.-Early years:...
, from off-duty soldiers.
A founding member and later secretary of the Y Club socialist discussion group, he participated in the 1919 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...
waterfront strike and helped negotiate a settlement. He married Alice Ann Warburton, née Large, on 27 April 1920 in a civil ceremony. In 1922 he was appointed secretary of the Manufacturing Grocers' Employees' Federation of Australia and became a highly successful union leader. From 1931 to 1932 he was President of the Trades Hall Council, and he served as president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1941 to 1942. In 1942 he became an adviser to the Commonwelath prices commissioner. His wife had died in 1940, and on 17 July 1943 he married Annie Elliott Warn.
Riley was a member of the ALP's anti-communist right wing and was refused admission to the 1955 federal conference; despite his non-Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
he joined the Democratic Labor Party
Democratic Labor Party
The Democratic Labor Party is a political party in Australia that espouses social conservatism and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan was elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal...
, of which he was Victorian president from 1960 to 1961, when he retired from public life. He died in 1970 at Reservoir
Reservoir, Victoria
Reservoir is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Reservoir had a population of 45,970....
.