Date of Birth: 28/01/1901
Place of Birth: Cambusnetham, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Date of Death: 11/11/1986
Place of Death: Epping, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
| Member for Hartley |
14 Feb 1953 |
06 Feb 1956 |
2 years 11 months 24 days |
|
| Member for Hartley |
17 Jun 1950 |
14 Jan 1953 |
2 years 6 months 29 days |
|
| Member for Hartley |
13 Dec 1947 |
22 May 1950 |
2 years 5 months 10 days |
|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly |
13 Dec 1947 |
06 Feb 1956 |
8 years 1 month 25 days |
|
Political Party Activity
Australian Labor Party (ALP). President of Lithgow Branch, member of central executive from 1943 until 1947; Federal Labor during 1930s; left party in 1952, stood as an Independent for Labor in 1953, 1956; campaign director for J.B Chifley.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Coalminer. Arrived in New South Wales at age seven, left school at fourteen, worked in Duckenfield colliery, Minmi and West Wallsend mine; went to Lithgow in 1916, worked as a coalminer at Ironworks Tunnel colliery, Zigzag, and Vale of Clwyyd; intermittent employment, worked at Small Arms factory during 1914 until 1918 and from 1939 until 1945 wars; assistant secretary for the Hunter River District Workers' Educational Association from 1922 until 1923 while working in Newcastle; president of Unemployed Workers' movement and Unemployed Relief Commitee; left the mining industry in 1943, manpower office, later employment officer, Department of Labour and Industry from 1943 until 1947.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of John Ballantyne Chalmers, miner, and Agnes Virtue Feathers. Married Eva Grace Victoria Colquhoun on 28 June 1924 and had issue, 1 daughter and 1 son.
