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Former Member Details

Mr Arthur Hill GRIFFITH (1861 - 1946)

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Date of Birth: 16/10/1861
Place of Birth: Gortmore Hall, Westmeath, Ireland
Date of Death: 01/09/1946
Place of Death: Jannali, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
The King's Message Committee No. 10 10 Aug 1915 13 Apr 1916 8 months 4 days
Military and Naval Hospital Home Bill Committee No. 9 22 Jul 1915 13 Apr 1916 8 months 23 days
Minister of Public Instruction 15 Mar 1915 07 Nov 1916 1 year 7 months 24 days
Member for Annandale 06 Dec 1913 21 Feb 1917 3 years 2 months 16 days
Minister for Public Works 30 Jun 1913 15 Mar 1915 1 year 8 months 15 days
Newcastle Iron and Steel Works Bill Committee No.11 10 Oct 1912 31 Oct 1912 22 days
Daylight Saving Principle Committee No.15 12 Oct 1911 28 Mar 1912 5 months 17 days
Dalgety Siding Bill Committee No.7 13 Sep 1911 28 Sep 1911 16 days
Daylight Saving Principle Committee No.11 28 Jun 1911 01 Aug 1911 1 month 5 days
Minister for Public Works 21 Oct 1910 29 Jun 1913 2 years 8 months 9 days
Member for Sturt 14 Oct 1910 06 Nov 1913 3 years 24 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 28 Jun 1910 20 Aug 1910 1 month 24 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 14 Jul 1909 17 Dec 1909 5 months 4 days
Member for Sturt 13 Nov 1908 14 Sep 1910 1 year 10 months 2 days
Standing Orders Committee No.3 05 Aug 1908 19 Dec 1908 4 months 15 days
Library Committee No.3 13 Mar 1908 11 Apr 1908 30 days
Library Committee No.3 24 Oct 1907 20 Dec 1907 1 month 27 days
Member for Sturt 30 Aug 1907 03 Nov 1908 1 year 2 months 5 days
Library Committee No.3 09 Jul 1907 12 Jul 1907 4 days
Case of Henry Harding, W.S Stead and others – Certificate of Title Committee No.7 21 Aug 1906 27 Nov 1906 3 months 7 days
Library Committee No.2 10 Jul 1906 18 Dec 1906 5 months 9 days
Testator’s Family Maintenance Committee No.23 28 Nov 1905 09 Dec 1905 12 days
Allegation by the Rev. W.Woolls Rutledge respecting an appointment to the Public Service Committee No.15 29 Aug 1905 25 Oct 1905 1 month 27 days Chairman
Library Committee No.4 28 Jun 1905 09 Dec 1905 5 months 12 days
Library Committee No.4 21 Sep 1904 24 Dec 1904 3 months 4 days
Member for Sturt 06 Aug 1904 19 Aug 1907 3 years 14 days
Library Committee No.5 01 Jul 1903 01 Dec 1903 5 months 1 day
Condition of the Blind Workers of the State Committee No.16 09 Sep 1902 20 Dec 1902 3 months 12 days
Carriage of Newspapers on Government Railways Committee No.10 20 Jun 1902 19 Dec 1902 6 months
Library Committee No.3 17 Jun 1902 20 Dec 1902 6 months 4 days
Library Committee No.4 08 Aug 1901 20 Dec 1901 4 months 13 days
Removal from the Public Service of Mr Frederick Glynn Committee No.3 06 Aug 1901 19 Dec 1901 4 months 14 days
Member for Waratah 03 Jul 1901 18 Nov 1903 2 years 4 months 16 days
Church of England Property Trust, Diocese of Goulburn Committee No.24 05 Oct 1900 05 Dec 1900 2 months 1 day
Library Committee No.5 20 Jun 1900 28 Nov 1900 5 months 9 days
Tamworth Showground Bill Committee No.15 26 Oct 1899 23 Dec 1899 1 month 28 days
Library Committee No.5 02 Aug 1899 23 Dec 1899 4 months 22 days
Library Committee No.5 02 Aug 1899 10 Oct 1899 2 months 9 days
Library Committee No.3 13 Apr 1899 21 Apr 1899 9 days
Library Committee No.2 21 Feb 1899 30 Mar 1899 1 month 10 days
Library Committee No. 4 25 Aug 1898 23 Dec 1898 3 months 29 days
Member for Waratah 27 Jul 1898 11 Jun 1901 2 years 10 months 16 days
Claim of Captain Rossi Committee No.20 28 Jul 1896 01 Oct 1896 2 months 4 days
Sydney and North Sydney Bridge and Tramway Bill Committee No.10 25 Jun 1896 16 Jul 1896 22 days
City Mutual Life Assurance Company’s (Limited) Enabling Bill Committee No.7 26 May 1896 16 Jun 1896 22 days
Member for Waratah 24 Jul 1895 08 Jul 1898 2 years 11 months 15 days
Member for Waratah 17 Jul 1894 05 Jul 1895 11 months 19 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 17 Jul 1894 21 Feb 1917 22 years 7 months 5 days
Political Party Activity
Australian Labor Party (ALP). Secretary of the parliamentary party from 1894 until 1904. Member of central executive in 1896, 1903 until 1905, 1910; resigned in opposition to coalition government in 1916 though personally favouring conscription; stood as an Independent in 1917; joined Federal Labor in 1931.
Community Activity
Commissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1905. Secretary of Lawn Tennis Association 1890 until 1893.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Schoolteacher and journalist. Arrived in Victoria in 1871. Educated at Scotch College at Melbourne and University of Melbourne and Sydney. Teacher at Sydney Grammar School from 1884 until 1894; contributed to the press on democratic issues; Founded a Patent Attorneys Office in 1895; Set up Patents Investments Board in 1916. Member of Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia; Member of Board of Examiners of Patent Attorneys for the Commonweath; Owned a small orchard at Medlow Bath. Socialist and republican by 1890; member of universal service league 1915. Recreational interests include swimming, heavyweight boxing and rowing.
Military Service
Honours Received
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Arthur Griffith, solicitor, and Hannah Cottingham. Married (1) Mildred Carrington Smith on 4 May 1899 and had issue, 1 son. Married (2) Elsie Marion Edwards in 1932 at Ashfield and had issue, 1 daughter and 1 son. Church of England.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9 Ken Turner and Michael Hogan (editors), The Worldly Art of Politics, Sydney, Federation Press, 2006 (Chapter 11: "Arthur Hill Griffith: Standard bearer for public enterprise", by Morris Graham, page 110)

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