George Pearce

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Sir George Pearce, KCVO (14 January 1870 – 24 June 1952) was an Australian politician who was instrumental in founding the Australian Labor Party in Western Australia.

Pearce, a carpenter, was born in Mount Barker, South Australia and educated at Red Hill Public School until he was 11. He worked on farms and later became a carpenter in Adelaide, but lost that job in the depression of 1891 and moved to Western Australia. he joined the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners and soon became heavily involved in the union movement. In April 1897 he married Eliza Maud Barrett.^[1]

[edit] Political career

In 1893, Pearce helped found the Progressive Political League, a precursor to the West Australian branch of the ALP. Self-educated in politics and economics, in 1901 he was elected to the first Commonwealth Parliament as a Senator for Western Australia. He narrowly missed out on being a member of the first Labor Party Cabinet when Chris Watson became Prime Minister in 1904. In 1908, he became Minister for Defence in the Cabinet of Andrew Fisher. He oversaw the foundation of the naval college at Jervis Bay and Royal Military College, Duntroon. In 1914 Australia entered World War I. Upon Billy Hughes' ascension as Prime Minister, Pearce was named Deputy Leader of the party.^[1]

By this time, Australia's prosecution of the war made the introduction of conscription an intensely divisive issue for the ALP. Pearce was convinced of the necessity of introducing conscription, but the majority of his party did not agree. Pearce, along with many other of the party's founding members, subsequently followed Hughes out of the party and into a new "National Labor" (later Nationalist Party of Australia) ministry.^[1]

Most of the defectors to the Nationalists subsequently faded into obscurity, but Pearce went on to have a successful career in the party of his erstwhile opponents. After Hughes was deposed as Nationalist leader, Pearce accepted a position in the ministry of Hughes' successor and rival, Stanley Bruce. In 1932 Pearce joined the newly formed United Australia Party, and served as a minister in the Lyons government until his defeat at the 1938 elections. By that time he was the last member of the original Australian Senate elected in 1901 still in the Senate. He was a Senator for 37 years and three months, a record term. His total service as a minister was 24 years and seven months, also a record in the Australian Parliament.^[1]

Pearce died at home in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood, survived by two sons and two daughters.^[1] RAAF Base Pearce and the Canberra suburb of Pearce are named after him.

[edit] Notes

Political offices
Preceded by Thomas Ewing	Minister for Defence 1908 – 1909	Succeeded by Joseph Cook
Preceded by Joseph Cook	Minister for Defence 1910 – 1913	Succeeded by Edward Millen
Preceded by Edward Millen	Minister for Defence 1914 – 1921	Succeeded by Walter Massy-Greene
Preceded by Alexander Poynton	Minister for Home and Territories 1921 – 1926	Succeeded by Thomas William Glasgow
Preceded by Llewellyn Atkinson	Vice-President of the Executive Council 1926 – 1929	Succeeded by John Daly
Preceded by Ben Chifley	Minister for Defence 1932 – 1934	Succeeded by Archdale Parkhill
Preceded by John Latham	Minister for External Affairs 1934 – 1937	Succeeded by Billy Hughes
Preceded by Harry Lawson	Minister in charge of Territories 1934 – 1937
Party political offices
Preceded by Billy Hughes	Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1915 – 1916	Succeeded by Albert Gardiner

Persondata
NAME	Pearce, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH	14 January 1870
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mount Barker, South Australia
DATE OF DEATH	24 June 1952
PLACE OF DEATH	Elwood, Victoria