John Travers (1866 – 16 April 1943) was an Irish-born Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1908 to 1934.[1] He was a Labor member when appointed but later resigned to sit as an independent.[2]
Early life
He was born in Cork to sea captain John Travers and Ellen McCarthy.[a] He migrated to Australia and became a shipwright, serving as secretary of the Shipwrights Provident Union of New South Wales from around 1892 until his appointment to the Legislative Council in 1908.[1][5][6][7] He served as president of the Eight Hour Day Committee and was a member of the central executive of the Labor Party from 1907,[1] until March 1908 when he resigned due to his inability to regularly attend meetings.[8]
Legislative Council
Travers was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, appointed in 1908,[9] and serving until 1934.[1] He was a Labor member when appointed by the Wade Liberal government,[10][11] however he did not sign the Labor pledge until 1911.[2][12] He was still a Labor member in January 1913,[13] however he resigned from the party some time prior to 1921.[2][12][14] In 1926 he voted against the Lang Labor government's bill to abolish the Legislative Council.[15]
He was a member of the Legislative Council's Public Works Committee for twenty years.[1][3] He did not seek re-election when the Legislative Council was reconstituted to end life appointments in 1934.[16]
Later life and death
Travers was a member of the board of directors of the Illawarra and South Coast Steam Navigation Company from 1920 until his death in 1943.[17][18] He was a member of the board of directors of Sydney Hospital from 1913 until 1938, the last 11 years as its president.[1][4]
He died at Crows Nest in 1943 (aged 71–77)[a] and was buried at Waverley Cemetery.[1][4]