George Foley
Encyclopedia
George James Foley was an Australian politician from Western Australia
. He was the member for the Western Australian seat of Mount Leonora
from 1911 until 1920, initially for the Labor Party
until 1917 when he joined the National Labor Party
. He then entered the Federal House of Representatives
as the Nationalist
member for the seat of Kalgoorlie
, which he held until 1922.
on the Victoria
n goldfields to Thomas Foley, a miner and railway employee, and Elizabeth Foley (née Stamp). He was educated at local schools before entering a state training college in Melbourne and gaining employment with a newspaper in Richmond
. He moved to Western Australia in 1895 and took up gold mining, becoming part-owner of the Grace Darling mine at Broad Arrow
. On 27 January 1902, he married Fannie Gill at the Wesley Church in Kalgoorlie
. He joined the Federated Miners Union and served as its Gwalia branch president, and later became president of the North Goldfields Council of the Labor Federation
.
Prior to the October 1911 state election
, he was selected by Labor to contest the seat of Mount Leonora
; he obtained 1,019 of the 1,172 valid votes cast and entered the Legislative Assembly
. He won the seat without opposition at the 1914 election
.
In March 1917, the Labor Party split in Western Australia ahead of the 1917 federal election
, and a number of Labor members, including Foley, either resigned from the Party or were expelled for supporting Nationalist
Senate candidates. Former premier John Scaddan
and several others formed the National Labor Party
with a base in the Goldfields region. Foley won the state election later that year
easily against a Labor opponent. In 1918, he was also elected to the Perth City Council
for a one-year term.
On 18 November 1920, Foley resigned from the Legislative Assembly to contest the Kalgoorlie federal by-election
, which had been called due to the expulsion of Labor member Hugh Mahon
from the House of Representatives
. Foley contested the by-election as a Nationalist Party
member, and won against Mahon. He was defeated at the 1922 election
, and failed to win the state seat of Kimberley
at the 1924 election. He worked as an auctioneer in Perth before retiring to Kalgoorlie.
George Foley died on 27 October 1945 in the Perth suburb of Mount Hawthorn
and was buried in the Congregationalist section of Karrakatta Cemetery
. He had no children.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. He was the member for the Western Australian seat of Mount Leonora
Electoral district of Mount Leonora
Mount Leonora was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1904 to 1930.The district was located in the Goldfields region, and was based in the town of Leonora. It was generally a Labor seat, although sitting member George Foley sided with...
from 1911 until 1920, initially for 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...
until 1917 when he joined the National Labor Party
National Labor Party
The National Labor Party was the name used by the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes for himself and his followers after he was expelled from the Australian Labor Party in November 1916 over his pro-conscription stance in relation to World War I...
. He then entered the Federal House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
as the Nationalist
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...
member for the seat of Kalgoorlie
Division of Kalgoorlie
The Division of Kalgoorlie was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia, named after the city of Kalgoorlie. The Division, which was proclaimed in 1900 as one of the original 75 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election, covered most of the land area of...
, which he held until 1922.
Biography
Foley was born in WalhallaWalhalla, Victoria
Walhalla is a small town in Victoria, Australia, founded as a gold-mining community in early 1863 and at its peak home to around 2,500 residents. Today, the town has a population of fewer than 20 permanent residents, though it has a large proportion of houses owned as holiday properties. It...
on the Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n goldfields to Thomas Foley, a miner and railway employee, and Elizabeth Foley (née Stamp). He was educated at local schools before entering a state training college in Melbourne and gaining employment with a newspaper in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
. He moved to Western Australia in 1895 and took up gold mining, becoming part-owner of the Grace Darling mine at Broad Arrow
Broad Arrow, Western Australia
Broad Arrow is a ghost town in Western Australia, located 38 km north of Kalgoorlie and 633 km east of Perth, Western Australia. It is on the Kalgoorlie to Leonora Road.-History:...
. On 27 January 1902, he married Fannie Gill at the Wesley Church in Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. He joined the Federated Miners Union and served as its Gwalia branch president, and later became president of the North Goldfields Council of the Labor Federation
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...
.
Prior to the October 1911 state election
Western Australian state election, 1911
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 3 October 1911 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Opposition Leader John Scaddan, defeated the conservative Ministerialist government led by Premier Frank Wilson...
, he was selected by Labor to contest the seat of Mount Leonora
Electoral district of Mount Leonora
Mount Leonora was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1904 to 1930.The district was located in the Goldfields region, and was based in the town of Leonora. It was generally a Labor seat, although sitting member George Foley sided with...
; he obtained 1,019 of the 1,172 valid votes cast and entered the Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
. He won the seat without opposition at the 1914 election
Western Australian state election, 1914
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 21 October 1914 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Labor party, led by Premier John Scaddan, retained government against the opposition conservative Liberal Party led by Opposition Leader Frank Wilson,...
.
In March 1917, the Labor Party split in Western Australia ahead of the 1917 federal election
Australian federal election, 1917
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 May 1917. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
, and a number of Labor members, including Foley, either resigned from the Party or were expelled for supporting Nationalist
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...
Senate candidates. Former premier John Scaddan
John Scaddan
John Scaddan, CMG , popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.- Biography :...
and several others formed the National Labor Party
National Labor Party
The National Labor Party was the name used by the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes for himself and his followers after he was expelled from the Australian Labor Party in November 1916 over his pro-conscription stance in relation to World War I...
with a base in the Goldfields region. Foley won the state election later that year
Western Australian state election, 1917
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 29 September 1917 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The Nationalist-Country-National Labor coalition, led by Premier Sir Henry Lefroy, retained government against the Labor Party led by Opposition Leader...
easily against a Labor opponent. In 1918, he was also elected to the Perth City Council
City of Perth
The City of Perth is a local government area and body, within the Perth Metropolitan Area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government body is commonly known as Perth City Council. The city covers the Perth central business district and surrounding suburbs...
for a one-year term.
On 18 November 1920, Foley resigned from the Legislative Assembly to contest the Kalgoorlie federal by-election
Kalgoorlie by-election, 1920
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Kalgoorlie on 18 December 1920. This was triggered by the expulsion of Labor Party MP Hugh Mahon....
, which had been called due to the expulsion of Labor member Hugh Mahon
Hugh Mahon
Hugh Mahon was an Irish-born Australian politician and a member of the first Commonwealth Parliament for the Australian Labor Party...
from the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
. Foley contested the by-election as a 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...
member, and won against Mahon. He was defeated at the 1922 election
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...
, and failed to win the state seat of Kimberley
Electoral district of Kimberley
-External links:* ABC Election Profiles: * WAEC District Maps:...
at the 1924 election. He worked as an auctioneer in Perth before retiring to Kalgoorlie.
George Foley died on 27 October 1945 in the Perth suburb of Mount Hawthorn
Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia
Mount Hawthorn is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Vincent.The Mount Hawthorn area was first selected for urban development in 1887. In the late 1890s part of it was purchased by a syndicate of Edward Wittenoom, a politician and pastoralist; James Hicks and C. L. W....
and was buried in the Congregationalist section of Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
. He had no children.