Albert Willis (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Albert Charles Willis was an Australian politician.
Born at Tonyrefail
in Wales
to sinker James Willis and Louisa Morse, he was educated at Bryn Mawr Board School and worked in the Monmouthshire
mines from the age of ten. He was a bursary
to London Labour College and Ruskin College, Oxford
, and became first secretary of the Cardiff Workers Educational Association. Ordained a lay preacher with the Church of God
in 1899, he was a member of Abertillery Urban District Council and Monmouthshire County Council. On 1 October 1901 he married Alice Maud Parker in London
, with whom he would have three children. In 1911 he moved to New South Wales
and worked at Balmain
Colliery, becoming president and secretary of the Illawarra Colliery Employees' Association from 1913 to 1915. The first general secretary of the Australasian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation from 1916 to 1925, he was arrested in 1917 as a member of the strike committee. From 1916 to 1919 he was a member of the Australian Labor Party
's central executive, but he resigned in 1919 as part of the group that formed the Industrial Socialist Labor Party
. Willis rejoined the ALP in 1923 and became party president until 1925, when he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council
and became Vice-President of the Executive Council and Representative of Government in the Upper House. In 1927 he was Acting Secretary for Mines, but he lost his portfolios in 1927, regaining them in 1930. He left the Council in 1933 and was a member of the Federal Labor Executive from 1934 to 1936. Willis died at Cronulla
in 1954.
Born at Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated north west of Llantrisant at the head of the Ely Valley, south of the Rhondda, being around from Trebanog and around from Williamstown. It is also around from the village of Gilfach Goch...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to sinker James Willis and Louisa Morse, he was educated at Bryn Mawr Board School and worked in the Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
mines from the age of ten. He was a bursary
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
to London Labour College and Ruskin College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and became first secretary of the Cardiff Workers Educational Association. Ordained a lay preacher with the Church of God
Church of God
Church of God is a name used by numerous, mostly unrelated Christian denominational bodies, most of which descend from either Pentecostal/Holiness or Adventist traditions.-Pentecostal Movement:*Church of God...
in 1899, he was a member of Abertillery Urban District Council and Monmouthshire County Council. On 1 October 1901 he married Alice Maud Parker in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with whom he would have three children. In 1911 he moved to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and worked at Balmain
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
Colliery, becoming president and secretary of the Illawarra Colliery Employees' Association from 1913 to 1915. The first general secretary of the Australasian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation from 1916 to 1925, he was arrested in 1917 as a member of the strike committee. From 1916 to 1919 he was a member of the 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...
's central executive, but he resigned in 1919 as part of the group that formed the Industrial Socialist Labor Party
Industrial Socialist Labor Party
The Industrial Socialist Labor Party was a short lived socialist political party in Australia in the late 1910s and early 1920s. It was founded by radical socialist members of the industrial wing of the Australian Labor Party , at a time when the ALP's socialist ideology was a matter of intra-party...
. Willis rejoined the ALP in 1923 and became party president until 1925, when he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
and became Vice-President of the Executive Council and Representative of Government in the Upper House. In 1927 he was Acting Secretary for Mines, but he lost his portfolios in 1927, regaining them in 1930. He left the Council in 1933 and was a member of the Federal Labor Executive from 1934 to 1936. Willis died at Cronulla
Cronulla, New South Wales
Cronulla is a beachside suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Sutherland Shire....
in 1954.