Matthew Charlton

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Matthew Charlton bigraphy, stories - Australian politician

Matthew Charlton : biography

15 March 1866 – 8 December 1948

Matthew Charlton (15 March 1866 – 8 December 1948) was an Australian Labor Party politician.

Charlton was born at Linton in rural Victoria but moved to Lambton, New South Wales at the age of five. He worked as a coal miner after only a primary education and then married Martha Rollings in 1889. Charlton had an interest in politics from his early middle age, and joined union strikes against wage reductions in 1896.

After a two-year stint in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Charlton returned to Lambton and rejoined the local colliery workers’ union, becoming its treasurer in 1901. He won a by-election for the NSW seat of Waratah in 1903 and transferred to Northumberland in 1904.

In 1910 Charlton won the seat of Hunter and rose through the ranks of Andrew Fisher’s government, then staying with the Australian Labor Party during its period in opposition. Charlton rose through the ranks to become party leader in 1922. He lost his first election campaign, partly because he was hospitalised with illness during its course. In 1924 Charlton was invited to a meeting of the League of Nations (now United Nations) but was unsuccessful in getting Australia to adopt the Geneva Protocol, established during the meeting.

Due to union strikes in 1925, Charlton and his party lost the election held that year and he resigned in 1928. He died on 8 December 1948.

Early life

Little is recorded about Charlton’s early life, as he grew up in a relatively unknown mining district. It is known, however, that Charlton was born on 15 March 1866 in Linton, Victoria, a small town near Ballarat that today has less than 500 residents. He was born to Matthew Charlton, an English miner from Durham, and Mabel (née Foard). In 1871, the five-year-old Charlton’s father moved with his family to Lambton, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales. After primary education at Lambton Public School, Charlton began work at Lambton Colliery as a coal trapper; a children’s-only job opening trapdoors for coal carts. When too old for the job, Charlton was given a job at the coal-face. At 23 he married Martha Rollings at nearby New Lambton. (accessed 2008-03-10)

Notes

Final years

Following his six years of service as Labor leader, Charlton took an interest in local government and became an alderman on the Lambton Council from 1934-38 (prior to its merger with the City of Newcastle). On 8 December 1948 Charlton died at Lambton, New South Wales, where he grew up and had lived most of his life. – Death Record Search (accessed 2008-03-10)

The Division of Charlton in the Hunter Region is named in his honour and has been a safe Labor seat since its creation in 1984.

Early federal career

Charlton was an immediate success with Andrew Fisher and was promoted to the temporary chairmanship of committees in the House in 1913, however Charlton threatened to resign in 1915 over a dispute in government delays in granting the committee increased powers. Fisher mollified him and in 1916 Charlton proved his loyalty to the new Labor leader Billy Hughes by voting for Hughes’ conscription referendum bill, even though he was vehemently opposed to conscription and fought hard against it. However, Charlton seemed to accept the affirmative result of the referendum and again proved his loyalty to Hughes by defending him when he became the target of caucus criticism. Charlton attempted to deflect attacks made on Hughes to a party conference, but Hughes left the party before a decision could be made.

The new Labor leader Frank Tudor was a weak leader in health and political prowess. A successor-designate was chosen by the caucus but it was not Charlton. T. J. Ryan was chosen over him, but he died in 1921 and Charlton filled the deputy leadership position. During election year, 1922, Tudor died also, and Charlton became Leader of the Opposition going into the 1922 election.

Emerging interest in politics

In 1896 plans to reduce coal workers’ wages drew widespread criticism and strike action. Though Charlton supported the struggle against wage reductions, his efforts failed and he moved, along with many other miners, to the goldfields near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. After two years in Western Australia, Charlton returned to Lambton and became an official in the Colliery Employees’ Federation, becoming treasurer in 1901. While working as treasurer, Charlton also prepared arbitration cases. Battling for an improvement in mine workers’ conditions, he attended a trade union congress in November 1902. Here he moved for nationalisation of the coal mining industry, believing it would ‘eliminate cut-throat competition between owners that depressed miners’ wages and conditions’. His calls were dismissed as too radical but a compromise was drawn up urging state governments to reconsider their use of coal mines.