Early Life
Lang was born into an impoverished family in the slums of Sydney. His father, James Henry Lang, a watchmaker and jeweller, was chronically ill and often unable to work. His mother was Mary Whelan. For a time, Lang lived with an aunt and uncle on their farm in Bairnsdale, Victoria, due to the financial pressures on his family in Sydney. While still of primary school age at St. Francis Marist Brothers' School, Brickfield Hill, he sold newspapers in downtown Sydney to help support his family, and received a minimal formal education. This spurred him to read and study widely in private. Lang never forgot the hardships of the working and poor classes and carried a resolve to improve these conditions for the rest of his life.
Read more about this topic: Jack Lang (Australian Politician)
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