Frederick William Birrell (27 August 1869 – 20 January 1939) was an Australian typographer and politician.

History

Birrell was born in

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

, a twin son of Eliza Birrell (née Banks) and Andrew Birrell, labourer, who married in 1865, then deserted his wife soon after Frederick and Albert Ernest Birrell were born. She and her children were helped by (later Sir) Robert Kyffin Thomas, general manager of the ''

South Australian Register ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and ...

'', and Frederick later gained employment as a printer with ''The Register'' and in 1892 became a member of the Typographical Society of South Australia. A few years later he started work at the Labor Party newspaper, '' The Herald'', as a linotype operator. He also served as a journalist and member of its board of management. Birrell represented the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

seat of

from 1921 to 1933 for the Labor Party. He served as

Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly The Speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly is the presiding officer of the South Australian House of Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of South Australia. The other presiding officer is the President of the South Australian ...

from 1926 to 1927.

Family

Birrell married Ellen Thomas, a machinist, at College Park on 15 October 1903. They had no children. Family relationship to S.A. unionist and MHR Frederick Ronald Birrell (1913–1985), if any, has not been found.

Notes and References

Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Speakers of the South Australian House of Assembly 1869 births 1939 deaths {{Australia-Labor-politician-stub