Stopford, James (Stoppy)
Personal
Birth Date:
22 July 1878 (Rockhampton, Queensland)
Death Date:
30 November 1936 (Brisbane, Queensland)
Parents:
John Joshua Stopford and Elizabeth (nee Wilson)
Family:
Ellen Williams on 24 April 1901 in Mt Morgan, 5 children
Education:
Mount Morgan State School
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Career
Miner and engine driver, Mount Morgan Mining Company; Organiser, Australian Workers Union, Gympie and Central Queensland; Organiser, General Workers Union; Vice-President, Queensland branch, Australian Workers Union
Party Positions:
- Fitzroy delegate, Labor in Politics Convention, Townsville, 1910.
- Second branch vice president, Australian Workers' Union. 1916 - 1924
- Representative, Queensland Central Executive of the ALP.
Parliamentary Representation
| House | Party | Electorate | From | To | Elected/Departure Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assembly | ALP | Mount Morgan | 22 May 1915 | 11 Jun 1932 | |
| Assembly | ALP | Maryborough | 11 Jun 1932 | 30 Nov 1936 | Died in Office |
Parliamentary Service
| Description | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary for Mines | 17 Jun 1932 | 30 Nov 1936 |
| Home Secretary | 2 Jul 1923 | 21 May 1929 |
| Minister without Office | 6 Oct 1922 | 2 Jul 1923 |
| Chairman, Public Works Commission | 1 Jan 1918 | |
| Member, Public Works Commission | 1 Jan 1917 |
Additional Information
Notes:
Interests included the welfare of miners, hospital administration, child welfare and post- and ante-natal clinics. As a delegate to the 1910 Labor-in-Politics convention held in Townsville, he was successful in having the ALP adopt his proposal for the compensation of miners suffering phthisis. In 1916 the Ryan government passed the Industrial Diseases Act to cover such occupational maladies. In parliament the welfare of miners remained one of his major concerns. During the 1917 strike on the issue of compulsory unionism, he appeared before Justice McCawley, winning the case for the AWU. In 1921 and 1925 he supported miners striking against the Mount Morgan Mining Company, which intended to drastically cut their wages. He also lobbied for better mining education via the establishment of mining schools on the larger fields. He assisted in the establishment of a sanatorium for pulmonary sufferers at Westwood, near Rockhampton. Known affectionately throughout his life as 'Stoppy', he had a short, solid frame with a facial resemblance to Napoleon Bonaparte, and a wisp of hair hanging over his forehead. He was a witty speaker with an arresting gift of oratory. He was well known for his interesting and well-delivered speeches
Sources:
Image courtesy of John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Neg:68264; Bernays, Charles Arrowsmith, Queensland: Our Seventh Political Decade (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1931); Queensland Government Mining Journal, Vol. XXXIII, 15 July 1932; Murphy, DJ, T.J. Ryan A Political Biography (St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1975); Ritchie, J, Australian Dictionary of Biography (Carlton, Vic: Melbourne University Press, 1990); Hughes, Colin A and BD Graham, Voting for the House of Representatives 1890-1964, (Canberra: ANU, Department of Political Science, 1974); Bernays, Charles Arrowsmith, Queensland Politics During Sixty (1859-1919) Years (Brisbane: A.J. Cummings, Government Printer, 1920); Waterson, DB, A Biographical Register of the Queensland Parliament: 1860-1929, 2nd revised edition (Sydney: Casket Publications, 2001)
[Last Modified: Tuesday, 22 August 2017]