MP Biographical Register

John Scaddan

Parliamentary Service

House

MLA

Party

Labor until 1917 National Labour Party (NLP) until 1920 Country Party (CP) until 1923 Ministerial (Majority) Country Party (MCP) 1923–1924 then Nationalist Secretary Australian Labour Federation (ALF) (WA Division) 1906–1911 (helped to arrange building of Perth Trades Hall)

Date Elected

24 June 1904

Electorate

Ivanhoe; Brown Hill-Ivanhoe; Albany; Maylands

Service

Electorates

MLA Ivanhoe, 24 June 1904–3 October 1911; Brown Hill-Ivanhoe 3 October 1911–8 August 1916 (resigned), 7 October 1916 (by-election)–21 July 1917 (defeated at ministerial by-election); Albany 31 May 1919 (by-election)–22 March 1924; Maylands 12 April 1930–8 April 1933
Contested Canning (ministerial by-election), 19 August 1916, Brownhill-Ivanhoe 21 July 1917 (ministerial by-election), Albany 29 September 1917, Leederville 26 March 1927, Maylands 8 April 1933

Office

Leader of the Opposition, 3 August 1910–7 October 1911
Leader of the Opposition, 27 July 1916–8 August 1916, 31 October 1916–circa 10 April 1917 (when he left the Labor Party)
Premier and Colonial Treasurer, 7 October 1911–27 July 1916
Minister for Mines and Railways, 28 June–27 July 1917
Colonial Secretary and Minister for Railways, 17 May (not a member of either house until 31 May)–25 June 1919
Minister for Railways, Mines, Industries, Forests and Police, 25 June 1919–16 April 1924
Minister for Railways, Mines, Police, Forests and Industry, 24 April 1930–24 April 1933

Historical Notes

Youngest WA Premier ever
Only person to hold ministerial posts for Labor, Nationalist (Liberal) and Country Parties at different times

Private Member's Bills

Year Retired/Resigned

1933

Personal Information

Birth date

4 August 1876

Place of birth

Moonta, South Australia, Australia

Death date

21 November 1934

Cause of death

Place of death

Mt Lawley, Western Australia

Cemetery

Karrakatta Cemetery, WA. Wesleyan Area, AA section, 0014A gravesite

Arrived in WA

Arrived Western Australia 1896

Parents

Son of Richard, miner, and Jennifer Smitheram

Marriage and Family

Married (1) 9 May 1900, at residence of Fanny Fauckner, Boulder to Elizabeth Fawkner, daughter of Henry and Fanny Evans Ragles
No children
Widowed 21 September 1902
Married (2) 1 September 1904, at residence of Richard Henderson, Boulder to Henrietta Edwards (died 29 November 1964), daughter of Thomas and Catherine James
Children: one son and one daughter

Religion

Methodist

Education

Woodside Primary School, SA and Eaglehawk Primary School, Victoria
Bendigo School of Mines (part-time): gained an engine-driver’s certificate

Occupation

Mine engine driver

Employment History

Miner, Eaglehawk from age 13 years
Operated stationary engine at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie goldfields
Manager, Westralian Motors, Perth, 1924–1927
Became stock, farm and estate agent, 1927

Local Government

Perth Road Board chairman 1931–1934, member from 1926

Principal Honours

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), 1923

Background/Membership

Superintendent, Methodist Sunday School
Member, Goldfields Amalgamated Certificated Engine-Drivers’ Union
Keen footballer when young
President, Million Club of WA
Freemason
Known as ‘Happy Jack’

References

D Black and G Bolton, eds, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia: volume one 1870-1930, Parliamentary History Project, Perth, WA, 2010, p. 176–177.
Metropolitan Cemeteries Board website. Accessed 23 August 2022. https://portal.mcb.wa.gov.au/name-search/ns-detail/?id=907dae8a-001d-ec11-b6e7-00224814cbaf

Bibliography

Further Information

J. R. Robertson, 'Scaddan, John (1876–1934)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/scaddan-john-8348/text14651, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 11 January 2016.