DAGLISH, Henry (1866-1920)

first labour premier of Western Australia

was born at Ballarat in 1866. He was educated at Geelong, qualified for matriculation at Melbourne university, and in 1882 was apprenticed to engineering. He entered the Victorian public service in 1883 and in 1895 resigned to go into business. Daglish was an unsuccessful candidate at South Melbourne in an election for the legislative assembly held in 1896, and in the following year went to Western Australia. He joined the public service and in 1900 became a municipal counsellor at Subiaco, where he was subsequently mayor. In 1901 he resigned from the public service and was elected as a Labour member for Subiaco. In August 1904 he formed the first Western Australian Labour ministry, taking the portfolios of treasurer and minister of education. He resigned on 25 August 1905 and left the Labour party on account of his objection to the caucus system. Returned as an independent at the October 1905 election, he was chairman of committees from 1907 to 1910, and from September 1910 to October 1911 was minister for works, in the first Wilson (q.v.) ministry. Losing his seat at the 1911 election, from 1912 until his death on 16 August 1920 he was employers' representative in the court of arbitration. He married in 1894 Edith Bishop, who survived him with a son and a daughter.

J. S . Battye, The Cyclopedia of Western Australia; The West Australian, 17 August 1920.