Frank Finnan
Encyclopedia
The Hon. Frank Finnan was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1941 until 1953 . He was a member of the Australian Labor Party
and held numerous ministerial positions between 1947 and 1953 .
Finnan was born in The Rocks, New South Wales
and was educated at St Aloysius' College (Sydney). He initially worked as a shearer in Queensland and was an official in the Australian Workers Union. By 1930, Finnan had returned to Sydney and was involved in the management of Labor papers including Common Cause and the Labor Daily. He was elected to the New South Wales Parliament as the Labor member for Hawkesbury
at the 1941
state election. The sitting United Australia Party
member, Ronald Walker had retired and Finnan's victory helped Labor gain a majority at the election. He held the seat at the next 2 elections but a redistribution prior to the 1950
state election made the seat unwinnable for Labor. Finnan then successfully stood for the new seat of Darlinghurst
. Darlinghurst was abolished at the 1953
election and Finnan was unsuccessful in an attempt to win the seat of Albury. He then retired from politics. During the premierships of James McGirr
and Joseph Cahill
, Finnan held numerous ministerial positions including Minister for Tourism, and Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare.
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1941 until 1953 . 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...
and held numerous ministerial positions between 1947 and 1953 .
Finnan was born in The Rocks, New South Wales
The Rocks, New South Wales
The Rocks is an urban locality, tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney's city centre, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, immediately north-west of the Sydney central business district...
and was educated at St Aloysius' College (Sydney). He initially worked as a shearer in Queensland and was an official in the Australian Workers Union. By 1930, Finnan had returned to Sydney and was involved in the management of Labor papers including Common Cause and the Labor Daily. He was elected to the New South Wales Parliament as the Labor member for Hawkesbury
Electoral district of Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Steven Pringle, formerly of the Liberal Party of Australia, who contested the 2007 election as an independent but was defeated by Ray Williams of the Liberal Party of...
at the 1941
New South Wales state election, 1941
The 1941 New South Wales state election was held on 10 May 1941. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 33nd New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting....
state election. The sitting United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
member, Ronald Walker had retired and Finnan's victory helped Labor gain a majority at the election. He held the seat at the next 2 elections but a redistribution prior to the 1950
New South Wales state election, 1950
The 1950 New South Wales State state election was held on 17 June 1950. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1949 redistribution...
state election made the seat unwinnable for Labor. Finnan then successfully stood for the new seat of Darlinghurst
Electoral district of Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1904, partly replacing Sydney-Bligh and Sydney-Fitzroy, and named after and including Darlinghurst. It was abolished in 1920 with the introduction of proportional...
. Darlinghurst was abolished at the 1953
New South Wales state election, 1953
The 1953 New South Wales state election was held on 14 February 1953. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1952 redistribution...
election and Finnan was unsuccessful in an attempt to win the seat of Albury. He then retired from politics. During the premierships of James McGirr
James McGirr
James McGirr was the Labor Premier of New South Wales from 6 February 1947 to 3 April 1952.A Catholic, McGirr was the seventh son of John Patrick McGirr, farmer and Irish immigrant, and Mary McGirr, whose maiden name was O'Sullivan. Born in Parkes, New South Wales, he grew up on a dairy farm near...
and Joseph Cahill
Joseph Cahill
John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...
, Finnan held numerous ministerial positions including Minister for Tourism, and Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare.