T. J. Ryan
Encyclopedia
Thomas Joseph "T.J." Ryan (1 July 1876 – 1 August 1921) was Premier of Queensland
, Australia
from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics
.
Australia
,the fifth of six children of Timothy Joseph Ryan, an illiterate Irish labourer who had migrated to Victoria in 1860 and become a small farmer, and his Irish wife Jane, née Cullen (died 1883). Tom's father shared his keen interest in politics with his family but was himself never politically active.
Ryan was educated at South Melbourne College
, Xavier College, Kew, and the University of Melbourne
, where he graduated B.A.
and LL.B.
He was appointed an assistant classical master at the University High School, Melbourne
, and subsequently held teaching positions at the Church of England Grammar School, Launceston
, at the Maryborough
Grammar School, and the Rockhampton Grammar School
, where he became second master. He resigned this position on being admitted to the Queensland bar in December 1901. He practised as a solicitor
at Rockhampton and subsequently as a barrister
at Brisbane
. While at Rockhampton in 1900 he joined the Australian Natives Association
and became its local president.
and the state seat of Rockhampton North, but was defeated on both occasions. In October 1909 he was elected as Labor
member for Barcoo in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
, retained the seat for 10 years, and after the 1912 election was elected leader of the Labour party on the resignation of David Bowman.
The Ryan government was the first majority Australian Labor Party government of Queensland as a result of the 1915 election
. Some of the eight members of his Cabinet had connections with the early ALP of the 1880s and the Shearer's Strike. His government would provide the example which would see Labor in power in Queensland almost continuously until 1957. Major reform of Labor laws and agricultural policy were part of the Ryan legacy. At the election in May 1915, Labour came in with a large majority and Ryan became premier, chief secretary, and attorney-general
, and an era of industrial legislation and state enterprise began. Among the measures passed were the industrial arbitration act, labour exchanges act, workers' compensation act, inspection of machinery and scaffolding act, factories and shops amendment act, and workers' compensation amendment act. This was one side of the Ryan government's activities but where it particularly broke fresh ground was the entrance of the state into trading activities. Stations were purchased and run as going concerns, and many retail butchers' shops were opened in Brisbane and other parts of Queensland. Railway refreshment rooms were taken over, state hotels were built and purchased, a produce agency was established, coal mines were acquired, iron and steel works were opened, and a state insurance department was established.
Ryan showed good generalship at the 1918 election and his party was again returned with a large majority. Ryan, as the only Labor party leader in Government anywhere in Australia, was instrumental in leading the fight against conscription
in the referendum launched by Billy Hughes
.
in the Federal Parliament as the Member for West Sydney
. He had been widely touted as a likely Labor leader before his premature death.
Although a big man physically, Ryan was not strong in health. Since weakened by influenza while he was in England at the time of the 1919 epidemic, he was stricken by bronchial and nasal infections. Furthermore he was tired from overwork; he seldom took a holiday and always worked long hours. In July 1921 he set out to campaign for the Labor candidate William Dunstan in the by-election for the Federal seat of Maranoa; he was sick at the start and during the long trip his condition worsened. On 1 August 1921 he died in Glenco Hospital, Barcaldine, of pneumonia. His body was taken by train to Brisbane past crowds gathered at each station. Archbishops Duhig and Mannix presided over his funeral in St Stephen's Cathedral and his burial in Toowong cemetery.
.
The wording on the metal plaque on the pedestal on which Thomas Ryan's statue stands in Brisbane, describes him as: Scholar - Jurist - Statesman. The Federal electoral division of Ryan
is named after him.
Premiers of Queensland
Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and...
, Australia
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...
from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
.
Early life
Thomas Joseph Ryan was born at Port Fairy, VictoriaPort Fairy, Victoria
Port Fairy is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and 290 km west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.-History:...
Australia
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...
,the fifth of six children of Timothy Joseph Ryan, an illiterate Irish labourer who had migrated to Victoria in 1860 and become a small farmer, and his Irish wife Jane, née Cullen (died 1883). Tom's father shared his keen interest in politics with his family but was himself never politically active.
Ryan was educated at South Melbourne College
South Melbourne College
South Melbourne College was a co-education boarding school in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The school was founded by Thomas Palmer in 1883....
, Xavier College, Kew, and the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, where he graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and LL.B.
He was appointed an assistant classical master at the University High School, Melbourne
University High School, Melbourne
The University High School is a public, co-educational high school, located in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville.-History:...
, and subsequently held teaching positions at the Church of England Grammar School, Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...
, at the Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
Grammar School, and the Rockhampton Grammar School
Rockhampton Grammar School
The Rockhampton Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, non-denominational, day and boarding school located in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia....
, where he became second master. He resigned this position on being admitted to the Queensland bar in December 1901. He practised as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
at Rockhampton and subsequently as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. While at Rockhampton in 1900 he joined the Australian Natives Association
Australian Natives Association
The Australian Natives' Association , a mutual society was founded in Melbourne, Australia in April 1871. The Association played a leading role in the movement for Australian federation in the last 20 years of the 19th century. In 1900 it had a membership of 17,000, mainly in Victoria.The ANA...
and became its local president.
Queensland politician
He was afterwards a candidate for the federal seat of CapricorniaDivision of Capricornia
The Division of Capricornia is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the Tropic of Capricorn, which runs through the Division. It is located on the central Queensland coast and its...
and the state seat of Rockhampton North, but was defeated on both occasions. In October 1909 he was elected as Labor
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 for Barcoo in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
, retained the seat for 10 years, and after the 1912 election was elected leader of the Labour party on the resignation of David Bowman.
The Ryan government was the first majority Australian Labor Party government of Queensland as a result of the 1915 election
Queensland state election, 1915
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 22 May 1915 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.The election was the second for the Ministerialist government of Digby Denham, who had been premier since 7 February 1911. The opposition Labor Party, led by T. J...
. Some of the eight members of his Cabinet had connections with the early ALP of the 1880s and the Shearer's Strike. His government would provide the example which would see Labor in power in Queensland almost continuously until 1957. Major reform of Labor laws and agricultural policy were part of the Ryan legacy. At the election in May 1915, Labour came in with a large majority and Ryan became premier, chief secretary, and attorney-general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, and an era of industrial legislation and state enterprise began. Among the measures passed were the industrial arbitration act, labour exchanges act, workers' compensation act, inspection of machinery and scaffolding act, factories and shops amendment act, and workers' compensation amendment act. This was one side of the Ryan government's activities but where it particularly broke fresh ground was the entrance of the state into trading activities. Stations were purchased and run as going concerns, and many retail butchers' shops were opened in Brisbane and other parts of Queensland. Railway refreshment rooms were taken over, state hotels were built and purchased, a produce agency was established, coal mines were acquired, iron and steel works were opened, and a state insurance department was established.
Ryan showed good generalship at the 1918 election and his party was again returned with a large majority. Ryan, as the only Labor party leader in Government anywhere in Australia, was instrumental in leading the fight against conscription
Conscription in Australia
Conscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood...
in the referendum launched by Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
.
Federal politician
Ryan was asked by a resolution of a special federal conference to enter federal politics, the only occasion that such a motion has been passed. He was Campaign Director for the Labor Party during the 1919 Federal election and was elected to the House of RepresentativesAustralian 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....
in the Federal Parliament as the Member for West Sydney
Division of West Sydney
The Division of West Sydney was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, and at various times included the suburbs of Pyrmont, Darling Harbour, Surry Hills, Balmain and Glebe....
. He had been widely touted as a likely Labor leader before his premature death.
Although a big man physically, Ryan was not strong in health. Since weakened by influenza while he was in England at the time of the 1919 epidemic, he was stricken by bronchial and nasal infections. Furthermore he was tired from overwork; he seldom took a holiday and always worked long hours. In July 1921 he set out to campaign for the Labor candidate William Dunstan in the by-election for the Federal seat of Maranoa; he was sick at the start and during the long trip his condition worsened. On 1 August 1921 he died in Glenco Hospital, Barcaldine, of pneumonia. His body was taken by train to Brisbane past crowds gathered at each station. Archbishops Duhig and Mannix presided over his funeral in St Stephen's Cathedral and his burial in Toowong cemetery.
Personal life
He married in 1910, Miss Lily Virginia Cook, who proved a great helpmate to him. She survived him with a son and a daughter, and in 1944 was the Queensland government representative at MelbourneMelbourne
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...
.
Legacy
The early death of such a capable leader was a great blow to the labour movement. He was described as urbane, amiable and approachable; his personality had allowed him to converse with confidence and trust with people of all ranks, from the governor of the Bank of England to militant unionists. At the same time he could hit hard with sarcasm when challenged by foes such as Hughes; yet he remained friendly with many persons of conservative persuasion, including some of his political enemies. Charles Bernays regarded him as the greatest parliamentary leader he had observed, 'an earnest exponent of the faith that was in him, and a generous big-hearted fighter'. Many historians believe that Ryan would have been the 4th Labor Prime Minister of Australia, had his death not been so untimely. A memorial fund collected money to erect a ten-foot (3 m) bronze statue which stands in Queen's Park near the Old Executive Building. A Ryan medal was struck for candidates obtaining the highest pass in the annual State scholarship examination.The wording on the metal plaque on the pedestal on which Thomas Ryan's statue stands in Brisbane, describes him as: Scholar - Jurist - Statesman. The Federal electoral division of Ryan
Division of Ryan
The Division of Ryan is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and is named for T.J. Ryan, a former Premier of Queensland from 1915 to 1919...
is named after him.
Family
| Name | |Death | Funeral Hearse of T. J. Ryan at Toowong Cemetery, ca. 1921 — State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is a large public library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988... The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
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