William O'Connor (Australian politician) explained

William O'Connor
Constituency Mp1:West Sydney
Parliament1:Australian
Predecessor1:Jack Beasley
Successor1:Dan Minogue
Term Start1:28 September 1946
Term End1:10 December 1949
Constituency Mp2:Martin
Parliament2:Australian
Predecessor2:Fred Daly
Successor2:Seat abolished
Term Start2:10 December 1949
Term End2:10 December 1955
Constituency Mp3:Dalley
Parliament3:Australian
Predecessor3:Arthur Greenup
Successor3:Seat abolished
Term Start3:10 December 1955
Term End3:29 September 1969
Birth Date:1910 9, df=yes
Nationality:Australian
Party:Australian Labor Party
Occupation:Clerk

William Paul O'Connor (29 September 1910  - 18 September 1987) was an Australian politician. He was educated at Catholic schools before becoming a clerk, as well as an organiser of the Australian Workers' Union.

In 1946, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for West Sydney. Following that election, one of the defeated candidates for the seat, Ronald Sarina, petitioned the High Court to declare O'Connor's election void, claiming that O'Connor's adherence to the Roman Catholic faith represented allegiance to a foreign power, which would make him ineligible to be a member of parliament under Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia. Sarina's solicitor sought leave to withdraw the petition, which was granted.[1]

Following the redistribution of 1949, O'Connor transferred to Martin, which he held until 1955. In that year, Martin was abolished, and O'Connor defeated sitting Labor MP Arthur Greenup for preselection for the seat of Dalley. O'Connor held Dalley until its abolition in 1969, at which time he retired.

He died in 1987, at age 76.[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: PETITION AGAINST MR. O'CONNOR; M.P. WITHDRAWN . . 21 . 6,138 . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 10 December 1946 . 1 August 2017 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
  2. Web site: Carr. Adam. Australian Election Archive. Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. 2008. 2008-06-06.