John Scaddan
| John Scaddan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 10th Premier of Western Australia | |
|
In office 7 October 1911 – 27 July 1916 |
|
| Preceded by | Frank Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Frank Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 August 1876 Moonta, South Australia |
| Died | November 21, 1934 (aged 58) Perth, Western Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Fawkner; Henrietta Edwards |
| Profession | Engine driver |
John Scaddan, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.
John Scaddan was born in Moonta, South Australia, into a Cornish Australian family. He was educated at the state schools in Woodside and Eaglehawk in Victoria. From the age of thirteen he worked in the mines at Eaglehawk, while continuing his schooling part-time at the Bendigo School of Mines and Industries. He worked in the area until 1896, when he came to Western Australia, probably as part of the gold rush to the Kalgoorlie goldfields. Scaddan initially worked underground as a miner, but after gaining his engine-driver's certificate, he operated a stationary engine at the pit head. In 1900, Scaddan married Elizabeth Fauckner (or Fawkner) in Boulder, who died from Bright's disease on 21 September 1902, and in 1904 he married Henrietta Edwards.
Scaddan became a keen unionist, and on 28 June 1904 he contested the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Ivanhoe, partly because he was having difficulty securing continuous employment, and partly also because of an interest in economic affairs. He easily won the seat for the Australian Labor Party, but was not invited to be a minister in Henry Daglish's 1904-05 government. This would later be to his advantage, as a number of his rivals within the Labor party suffered from their association with the unsuccessful Daglish ministry.
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