James Connolly (Australian politician)

The Honourable Sir James Connolly
Member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia
In office 12 June 1901 – 21 February 1914
Preceded by	Alexander Matheson
Succeeded by	Harry Millington
Constituency	North-East Province
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia
In office 21 October 1914 – June 1917
Preceded by	Walter Dwyer
Succeeded by	Robert Pilkington
Constituency	Perth
Personal details
Born	(1869-12-20)20 December 1869 Allora, Queensland, Australia
Died	12 February 1962(1962-02-12) (aged 92) London, England
Political party	Liberal
Religion	Roman Catholic

Sir James Daniel Connolly (2 December 1869 – 12 February 1962) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, and was a minister in the governments of Newton Moore and Frank Wilson. He was later appointed Agent-General for Western Australia, serving from 1917 to 1923, and spent much of his later life in the United Kingdom.

Connolly was born in Allora, Queensland, to Irish Catholic parents. He was initially schooled at Warwick, but later attended St Joseph's College, Brisbane, before training as a quantity surveyor. Connolly went to the Western Australian Goldfields in 1893, working as a building contractor, and in 1899 was elected to the Kalgoorlie Town Council.^[1] In 1901, he stood in a by-election for the Legislative Council, and was elected to replace Alexander Matheson in North-East Province.^[2] In May 1906, when Newton Moore replaced Cornthwaite Rason as premier, Connolly was appointed Colonial Secretary and Minister for Commerce and Labour in the new ministry. He continued as Colonial Secretary when Frank Wilson became premier in September 1910, serving until the Wilson government lost power at the 1911 state election.^[1]

In early 1914, Connolly resigned from the Legislative Council in order to contest the Legislative Assembly at the 1914 election. He defeated the sitting Labor member, Walter Dwyer, in the seat of Perth, running for the new Liberal Party.^[2] In July 1916, Frank Wilson became premier for a second time, and Connolly was appointed an honorary minister in the new ministry. However, in June 1917, he resigned from parliament to accept the position of Agent-General for Western Australia, representing the state government in London. Knighted in 1920 for his services, Connolly continued as Agent-General until 1923, and during his period in office assisted in the creation of the Group Settlement Scheme. He remained in London afterward, serving as a director of various companies and banks.^[1]

References