Frank Tudor
Encyclopedia
Francis Gwynne "Frank" Tudor (29 January 1866 – 10 January 1922) was an Australian-born felt hatter and politician. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party
from 1916 till his death.
origin, on 29 January 1866 at Williamstown, Victoria
. However, the family soon moved to the Melbourne suburb of Richmond
, where Tudor lived all his life.
Upon leaving Richmond Central State School, and after short spells in a sawmill
and a boot
factory, Tudor entered the felt hat
industry. Tudor apprenticed in Abbotsford
and then travelled across Victoria in the hat trade. Tudor went to England, working in London, Birmingham
, Liverpool
and Manchester
, marrying Alice Smale in Denton, Lancashire
in 1894. Smale died the same year, but Tudor continued in the felt hat trade by moving to London and becoming vice-president of the local branch of the Felt Hatters' Union. In 1897 Tudor remarried to Fanny Jane Mead.
As vice-president of the union Tudor became interested in union politics (as many Labor
politicians were before their entry into politics) and persuaded the British unions to adopt the union label
principle. Returning to Australia, Tudor worked at Abbotsford
's mills and took a seat in the Victorian Trades Hall Council
. In 1900 he became president.
, Tudor turned the Division of Yarra
into the safest Labor seat in the country by winning that seat by a large margin in the 1901 federal election. Tudor was a deacon of the Congregational Church and angered some Protestants with his calls for Home Rule
for Ireland
.
Tudor was immediately elected the Labor Party's whip
and assistant secretary. He ascended to the position of secretary in 1904, then Minister for Trade and Customs
during the three Fisher ministries
, from 1908–1909, 1910–1913, 1914–1915. When Billy Hughes
replaced Andrew Fisher
as the Prime Minister
, Tudor continued in the role of Minister for Trade and Customs until 1916, when he resigned from the Hughes ministry
over his opposition to conscription
.
Hughes left the Labor Party at the end of 1916 to form the Nationalist Party
.
(and consequently Leader of the Australian Opposition) in November 1917, and led his party to defeat in the 1917 federal election
. Tudor's success in preventing conscription was evident when a plebiscite
was held and defeated in 1916. In 1919, T. J. Ryan
, Premier of Queensland, was transferred to federal politics to serve under Tudor as a deputy. Because of Tudor's ineffectual performance, the party was contemplating a new leader, and Ryan would have probably replaced Tudor had he not died in 1921.
It was predicted that Tudor would lose the 1919 election
. These predictions were correct, and Labor was defeated again. In 1921 Tudor's health declined and he was increasingly unable to carry out his duties; nevertheless, the party did not allow him to resign.
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...
from 1916 till his death.
Early life
Tudor was born to John Llewellyn Tudor, a ballastman, and Ellen Charlotte Tudor, née Burt, both of WelshWales
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...
origin, on 29 January 1866 at Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....
. However, the family soon moved to the Melbourne suburb of 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...
, where Tudor lived all his life.
Upon leaving Richmond Central State School, and after short spells in a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
and a boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
factory, Tudor entered the felt hat
Hat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
industry. Tudor apprenticed in Abbotsford
Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....
and then travelled across Victoria in the hat trade. Tudor went to England, working in London, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, marrying Alice Smale in Denton, Lancashire
Denton, Greater Manchester
Denton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is five miles to the east of Manchester city centre, and has a population of 26,866....
in 1894. Smale died the same year, but Tudor continued in the felt hat trade by moving to London and becoming vice-president of the local branch of the Felt Hatters' Union. In 1897 Tudor remarried to Fanny Jane Mead.
As vice-president of the union Tudor became interested in union politics (as many 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...
politicians were before their entry into politics) and persuaded the British unions to adopt the union label
Union label
A union label is a label, mark or emblem which advertises that the employees who make a product or provide a service are represented by the labor union or group of unions whose label appears, in order to attract customers who prefer to buy union-made products...
principle. Returning to Australia, Tudor worked at Abbotsford
Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....
's mills and took a seat in the Victorian Trades Hall Council
Victorian Trades Hall Council
The Victorian Trades Hall Council is a representative body of trade union organisations, known as a Labour council, in the State of Victoria, Australia...
. In 1900 he became president.
Entry into politics
A prominent figure in Richmond, VictoriaRichmond, 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...
, Tudor turned the Division of Yarra
Division of Yarra
The Division of Yarra was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It was located in inner eastern suburban Melbourne, and was named after the Yarra River, which originally formed the eastern border of the Division, and eventually ran through it. It originally covered the suburbs...
into the safest Labor seat in the country by winning that seat by a large margin in the 1901 federal election. Tudor was a deacon of the Congregational Church and angered some Protestants with his calls for Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
for Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
and assistant secretary. He ascended to the position of secretary in 1904, then Minister for Trade and Customs
Minister for Trade (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Trade has been Dr. Craig Emerson since 14 September 2010.-Portfolio:Currently the Minister for Trade administers the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, although prior to 1987 there was a separate Department of Trade...
during the three Fisher ministries
First Fisher Ministry
The First Fisher Ministry was the seventh Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 13 November 1908 to 2 June 1909.Australian Labor Party...
, from 1908–1909, 1910–1913, 1914–1915. When Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
replaced Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...
as the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, Tudor continued in the role of Minister for Trade and Customs until 1916, when he resigned from the Hughes ministry
First Hughes Ministry
The First Hughes Ministry was the twelfth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 27 October 1915 to 14 November 1916.Australian Labor Party*Rt Hon Billy Hughes, MP: Prime Minister, Attorney-General...
over his opposition to conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
.
Hughes left the Labor Party at the end of 1916 to form the 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...
.
Leader of the Opposition
Tudor was elected leader of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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 consequently Leader of the Australian Opposition) in November 1917, and led his party to defeat in 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...
. Tudor's success in preventing conscription was evident when a plebiscite
Australian plebiscite, 1916
The 1916 Australian plebiscite was held on 28 October 1916. It was the first non-binding Australian plebiscite, and contained one question concerning Military Service....
was held and defeated in 1916. In 1919, T. J. Ryan
T. J. Ryan
Thomas Joseph "T.J." Ryan was Premier of Queensland, Australia from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics.-Early life:Thomas Joseph Ryan was born at Port Fairy, Victoria...
, Premier of Queensland, was transferred to federal politics to serve under Tudor as a deputy. Because of Tudor's ineffectual performance, the party was contemplating a new leader, and Ryan would have probably replaced Tudor had he not died in 1921.
It was predicted that Tudor would lose the 1919 election
Australian federal election, 1919
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1919. 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 defeated the opposition Australian...
. These predictions were correct, and Labor was defeated again. In 1921 Tudor's health declined and he was increasingly unable to carry out his duties; nevertheless, the party did not allow him to resign.