Jack Mullens was born in Ballarat East and educated at St Patrick's College, Ballarat.
16 Facts About Jack Mullens
Jack Mullens was a clerk and then a school teacher before entering politics.
Jack Mullens was a Labor councillor of the City of Footscray from 1927 to 1930 and mayor from 1928 to 1929.
Jack Mullens was defeated at the 1930 council elections, which saw the Footscray Labor councillors routed.
Jack Mullens served as president of the Henry Lawson Memorial and Literary Society of Footscray, which was responsible for installing a memorial statue to Henry Lawson in Footscray Park.
Jack Mullens later sold his interest in the hotel, and was working as a salesman when he entered state politics in 1937.
Jack Mullens was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 1937 state election in the seat of Footscray, which had been left vacant by the death of former Labor leader George Prendergast two months before polling day.
Parker Moloney initially been selected as the Footscay candidate by the Labor central executive, but withdrew amidst a local backlash over being denied a vote, with Jack Mullens then selected as the replacement candidate.
Jack Mullens was an outspoken anti-Communist in parliament and publicly campaigned against communist ideas.
In 1944, Jack Mullens proposed that the Arbitration Court should be given jurisdiction to oversee trade union elections, which sparked a hostile response nationally by several major unions.
Jack Mullens had been experiencing health issues, and was in hospital for a period in July 1945.
Jack Mullens initially nominated to recontest, but then withdrew his nomination and did not contest the election.
In 1948, Jack Mullens announced that he would seek Labor preselection for the new federal seat of Gellibrand at the 1949 election.
Jack Mullens comfortably won Labor preselection and went on to win the seat at the election.
In 1958, Evatt alleged in parliament that in 1955 Mullens had secretly met with federal Liberal Party president W H Anderson and various agents and arranged for the DLP to receive substantial financial assistance.
Jack Mullens further alleged that Mullens had been placed on the payroll of a company linked to Anderson under a false name.