Alexander Finlay (14 November 1887 – 2 March 1963) was an Australian politician. Born in the South Yarra neighborhood of Melbourne, Victoria, he moved to

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

as a child and attended school there until the age of twelve. He then became a carriage painter like his father. He married at age twenty-two and had three children. In 1918 Finlay enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, serving in France and Great Britain. After his discharge in 1919, he returned home to Bowden, a suburb of Adelaide. There he joined The Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia. In the 1920s and 1930s he held several offices in the Australian Natives' Association and in a coachmakers' union later known as the

Vehicle Builders' Employees' Federation of Australia The Vehicle Builders' Employees' Federation of Australia (VBEF) was an Australian trade union which existed between 1863 and 1993. It was an industrial union which represented all production employees in the vehicle industry and automotive part ...

. He eventually became president of the coachmakers' union, and then from 1934 to 1944 general secretary of its South Australian branch. In that position, he negotiated the union's strike-free agreements with the automobile manufacturer General Motors-Holden. Finlay attempted to be preselected as a

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

candidate for the Labor Party in 1937 and 1939. He was chosen for the Labor Senate ticket in 1940, but lost the election. In 1943 he shared the Labor Senate ticket with

Sid O'Flaherty Sidney Wainman O'Flaherty (2 July 1886 – 18 November 1967) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate for South Australia from 1944 to 1962. He had previously served as a Labor member of ...

and

Theo Nicholls Theophilus Martin "Theo" Nicholls (21 August 1894 – 22 July 1977) was an Australian politician. Born in Wilmington, South Australia, he received a primary education before becoming a wharf labourer. He served in the military from 1915 to 1917 ...

. All three were elected. Finlay held his Senate seat until he retired in 1953. He died in 1963 in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, a beachfront suburb of Adelaide.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, Alex Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia Members of the Australian Senate 1887 births 1963 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians