1. William McCormack was Premier of Queensland, Australia, from 1925 to 1929.
17 Facts About William McCormack
1. 2.
William McCormack was the fourth of six children born to Mary and Patrick McCormack; his mother was born in Ireland.
3.
William McCormack's father owned a small grazing property, having previously worked as a carrier.
4.
William McCormack was educated at a local state school and subsequently worked as a prospector in the area around Mount Morgan.
5.
William McCormack moved to North Queensland in 1904 and worked on the Stannary Hills Tramways.
6.
William McCormack developed a friendship with Ted Theodore who introduced him to the labour movement.
7.
In 1908, William McCormack became the inaugural vice-president of the Amalgamated Workers' Association of North Queensland.
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Ted Theodore 8.
William McCormack led successful industrial action on the Etheridge railway line and oversaw a rapid increase in membership.
9.
In 1909, William McCormack was elected as the full-time paid secretary of the AWA, having been blackballed by employers due to his union activities.
10.
William McCormack became "North Queensland's most influential industrial leader", working towards amalgamations of smaller unions in line with the One Big Union ideal.
11.
William McCormack led a successful strike of sugar workers in 1911, reaching a favourable settlement on wages and employment conditions.
12.
William McCormack initially lent support to the 1912 Brisbane general strike, but considered the pretext for the strike to be flimsy and soon withdrew, gaining a reputation for pragmatism.
13.
The AWA merged into the Australian Workers' Union in 1913 with William McCormack becoming a vice-president of the AWU.
14.
William McCormack entered politics as member for Cairns in the Queensland Legislative Assembly at the election of 1912, a seat he held until his retirement from politics in 1930.
15.
William McCormack held the position until 1919 and then was appointed home secretary in Ted Theodore's government.
16.
William McCormack led the ALP to victory at the 1926 state election.
17.
William McCormack died in Brisbane on 21 November 1947 and was buried at the Toowong Cemetery.