Rufus Henry Underwood (31 December 1863 – 8 October 1945) was an Australian politician who represented the

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

n Legislative Assembly seat of

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

from 1906 until 1924. Initially active in the Labor Party and a minister without portfolio in the Scaddan Ministry, he left the party during the conscription crisis in 1917 and thereafter represented the

National Labor Party The National Labor Party (NLP) was an Australian political party formed by Prime Minister Billy Hughes in November 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of ...

for the rest of his political career.

Biography

Underwood was born in Mount Egerton, a mining district not far from

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, to William Underwood, a splitter and farmer, and Jane (née Carter). He had very little education and worked in the country. In 1880, he was apprenticed to the bootmaking trade in Victoria, before moving to South Australia where by the mid-1880s he had become president of the Bootmaker's Union. On 27 September 1886 at St Patrick's Church in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, he married Bridget Fitzpatrick, with whom he was to have two sons. In 1895, he relocated to

and engaged in

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

mining with a share in a mine at Nullagine in the East

region, before moving to Tammin and engaging in farming. He joined the Labor Party and won the Legislative Assembly seat of

at a by-election on 23 July 1906 following the resignation of Independent member

James Isdell James Isdell (c. 1849 – 5 October 1919) was an Australian pastoralist and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1903 to 1906, representing the seat of Pilbara. Isdell was born in Victoria, and ca ...

. As Parliament was considering an act to establish the

University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...

in 1911 Underwood asserted that universities bred snobs and drones and that it was easier for a

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

to walk backwards down a canvas hose than for a university man to achieve anything worthwhile. In the 1911 state election, Labor won majority government for the first time under

John Scaddan John Scaddan, Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (4 August 1876 – 21 November 1934), popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916. Early life John Scaddan was born in Moonta ...

. Underwood served as a Minister without Portfolio in the Scaddan Ministry from 23 November 1914 until the Ministry was defeated by a

vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

on 27 July 1916. In March 1917, some Labor members of parliament, including Underwood and former premier Scaddan, to support the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, 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 ...

team for the 1917 federal election over the conscription issue. These members either left or were expelled from the Australian Labor Party and formed a new party, the

, whose members formed part of the Nationalist coalition assembled in June 1917 with

Henry Lefroy Sir Henry Bruce Lefroy (24 March 1854 – 19 March 1930) was the eleventh Premier of Western Australia. Biography Lefroy was born in Perth, Western Australia on 24 March 1854. His father was Anthony O'Grady Lefroy, Colonial Treasurer of Wes ...

as premier. Following the election, on 23 November 1917, Underwood was made a Minister without Portfolio in the Lefroy Ministry. He resigned on 26 March 1919 after he, Premier Lefroy and James Gardiner were stranded in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

for several weeks due to quarantine regulations relating to the

influenza epidemic Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...

. He continued to serve as a backbencher, but was defeated by a Labor candidate at the 1924 state election. Little is known about his life after politics, although he resided in outer suburban

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

where he maintained a small farm. He died on 8 October 1945 at Sunset Home in Nedlands, and was buried in

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, Henry 1863 births 1945 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Victoria (state) Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery National Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia