John George Barrett (17 December 1858 – 19 May 1928) was an Australian politician, a senator in the federal Australian parliament.
Born in Carlton, Barrett was educated there at St Mary's Anglican School before becoming apprenticed as a tinsmith. He was founder and President of the Tinsmith's Society, and also served as President of the Melbourne Trades Hall Council. In 1895, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Carlton South, where he remained until 1897. In 1901, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator from Victoria, although he was also endorsed by the Protectionist Party. He was one of only three Labor members elected to the first Parliament from Victoria (the other two were members of the House of Representatives, Frank Tudor and James Ronald). He was defeated in 1903, but continued to be active in the union movement; he was also an active prohibitionist. Barrett died in 1928.
Famous quotes containing the word barrett:
“The works of women are symbolical.
We sew, sew, prick our fingers, dull our sight,
Producing what? A pair of slippers, sir,
To put on when you’re weary or a stool
To stumble over and vex you ... “curse that stool!”
Or else at best, a cushion, where you lean
And sleep, and dream of something we are not,
But would be for your sake. Alas, alas!
This hurts most, this ... that, after all, we are paid
The worth of our work, perhaps.”
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)