Matthew Charlton

Matthew Charlton ( born March 15, 1866 in Linton, Victoria, † December 8, 1948 in Lambton, New South Wales) was an Australian politician and leader of the Australian Labor Party.

Early life

Charlton was born in Linton, a rural town in Victoria. His family moved to Lambton, New South Wales when he was five years old. Since he received little education in his youth, he worked as a coal worker. In 1889, he married Martha Rollings. Even in middle age, Charlton was interested in politics and joined in 1896 the trade union strikes, which were scheduled against wage reductions.

Political career

After a stint of two years in Western Australia Kalgoorlie - Boulder, Charlton returned back to Lambton in 1901 and joined the " Colliery workers ' union " whose treasurer he was. In the constituency Waratah he won a seat in parliament in 1903 from New South Wales and defended that in 1904 in the electoral district of Northumberland.

In the federal elections in 1910, he was elected in the constituency Hunter and joined the government to Andrew Fisher on. With the Australian Labor Party, he was henceforth in opposition. After the surprising death of the party chairman Frank Tudor, who had already lost his deputy by a sudden death in the previous year, Charlton in 1922 elected as the new party leader. Due to a long illness during his election campaign Charlton lost the following federal elections.

From the League of Nations (now the United Nations) Charlton 1924 was invited to a meeting, but did not succeed him Australia for the recognition of the Geneva Protocol that was developed during the meeting, to move.

Because of union strikes Charlton lost his party the federal elections in 1925 and joined in 1928 by active politics. On December 8, 1948 Charlton died in Lambton, New South Wales.