David O'Keefe (Australian politician)

David O'Keefe
David O'Keefe; CMG
Senator for Tasmania
	In office; 29 March 1901 – 31 December 1906
	In office; 1 July 1910 – 30 June 1920
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Denison
	In office; 16 December 1922 – 14 November 1925
Preceded by	William Laird Smith
Succeeded by	Sir John Gellibrand
Personal details
Born	21 August 1864; Longford, Tasmania
Died	21 July 1943 (aged 78); Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Occupation	Journalist

David John O'Keefe, CMG (21 August 1864 – 21 July 1943) was an Australian politician who served in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. He was a Senator from Tasmania from 1901 to 1906 and 1910 to 1920, and then represented the Division of Denison in the House of Representatives from 1922 to 1925.

Early life

Born in Longford, Tasmania, he was educated at state schools before becoming a farm worker and miner. He was involved in the labour movement as a journalist. He lived in Zeehan, Tasmania from 1892, and was editor of the Zeehan and Dundas Herald between 1894 and 1899.[1] He was also an organiser of the Australian Workers' Union.

Federal politics

In 1901, O'Keefe was elected to the Australian Senate, running with endorsement from the Protectionist Party, as there was no Labour Party in Tasmania at the time; however, he joined the Australian Labor Party caucus in Parliament.[2] He was defeated in 1906, but re-elected in 1910, serving until his defeat in 1919 (taking effect in 1920). O'Keefe served as Chairman of Committees from 1910 to 1914.[3]

In 1922, he was elected to the House of Representatives, defeating Labor-turned-Nationalist MP William Laird Smith for the seat of Denison. He was the first Tasmanian to have served in both houses of federal parliament.

Later life

He was defeated in 1925 by Nationalist Sir John Gellibrand and worked in Western Australia for some time before returning to Tasmania in 1931. In 1934 O'Keefe was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly, immediately taking the position of Speaker. He held the Speaker's position until 1942 and died the following year.[4]

References

"O'Keefe, David John (1864–1943)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
"GOVERNMENT AND PROTECTION". Daily Telegraph. XXVI (293). Tasmania, Australia. 8 December 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 25 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
"Appendix 3―Deputy Presidents and Chairmen of Committees (1901–2009)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 9 November 2008.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by William Laird Smith	Member for Denison 1922–1925	Succeeded by John Gellibrand
Tasmanian House of Assembly
Preceded by John Evans	Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly 1934–1942	Succeeded by John Dwyer

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[1] "O'Keefe, David John (1864–1943)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.

[2] "GOVERNMENT AND PROTECTION". Daily Telegraph. XXVI (293). Tasmania, Australia. 8 December 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 25 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.

[3] "Appendix 3―Deputy Presidents and Chairmen of Committees (1901–2009)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2017.

[Psephos-4] Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 9 November 2008.