Sir Shirley Williams Jeffries (28 February 1886 – 13 September 1963) was a member of 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 ...

in three stints over twenty five years and an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er in the

South Australian Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as th ...

(SAFL).

Early life

Born in Crompton, Lancashire to William Jeffries, a Wesleyan minister, and his wife Mercy, née Wibmer, one of three sons and three daughters. The Jeffries family emigrated to Australia in 1890 and settled in South Australia in 1898 where William Jeffries served as President of the South Australian Methodist Conference. Jeffries attended

Prince Alfred College Prince Alfred College is a private, independent, day school, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, South Australia, Kent Town, near the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, South Australia. One of th ...

and the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

where he graduated with a law degree in 1906, was admitted to the Bar in 1910 and practiced as a lawyer, firstly with Fisher, Jeffries, Brebner & Taylor and later with Fisher, Powers and Jeffries. A leading athlete in his youth, and standing at 185 cm, Jeffries played Australian rules football for Norwood in

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...

, and along with future

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

Lionel Hill Lionel Laughton Hill (14 May 1881 – 19 March 1963) was an Australian politician who served as the thirtieth Premier of South Australia, representing the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. Early life Born in Adelaide, So ...

was a member of the Norwood side that defeated

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL) club Carlton to become Champions of Australia."Lawyer and legislator", ''News'' (Adelaide), 14 December 1927, p. 6. He transferred to Sturt in

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

, where he was considered part of Sturt's "best combination". He was also a leading tennis player who represented the University of Adelaide in intervarsity tennis tournaments.

Political career

Jeffries was elected to the

City of Mitcham The City of Mitcham is a local government area in the foothills of southern Adelaide, South Australia. Within its bounds is Flinders University, South Australia's third largest, and the notable, affluent suburb of Springfield which contains som ...

Council and became involved in conservative politics in South Australia, serving as the President of the North Adelaide Men's Branch of the conservative Liberal Union. He gained pre-selection with the

Liberal Federation The Liberal Federation was a South Australian political party from 16 October 1923 to 1932. It came into existence as a merger between the rival Liberal Union and National Party, to oppose Labor. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of the ...

(the successor of the Liberal Union) for the

electorate of

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 ...

at the 1924 election. He was unsuccessful but again won Liberal Federation pre-selection for North Adelaide for the 1927 election, and won the seat for the party for the first time in seventeen years. Jeffries lost his seat at the 1930 election in the wake of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

but regained it at the subsequent

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

election. Following the 1933 election, Jeffries was appointed Minister of Industry and Employment in the

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

Government, and later gained the Attorney-General and Education portfolios."Mr Jeffries to head S.A. Fitness Council", ''The News'' (Adelaide), 8 September 1939, p. 7. His refusal to increase the ration allowance for children earned him the opposition of unions and public organisations. In 1938,

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Richard Layton Butler Sir Richard Layton Butler KCMG (31 March 1885 – 21 January 1966) was the 31st Premier of South Australia, serving two disjunct terms in office: from 1927 to 1930, and again from 1933 to 1938. Early life Born on a farm near Gawler, South Aust ...

resigned from parliament to stand as a candidate at the

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

for the federal

Division of Wakefield The Division of Wakefield was an Australian electoral division in the state of South Australia. The seat was a hybrid rural-urban electorate that stretched from Salisbury in the outer northern suburbs of Adelaide at the south of the seat right ...

. Media speculation had Jeffries and

Thomas Playford IV Sir Thomas Playford (5 July 1896 – 16 June 1981) was an Australian politician from the state of South Australia. He served as Premier of South Australia and leader of the Liberal and Country League (LCL) from 5 November 1938 to 10 March 196 ...

as the most likely replacements for Butler, with Jeffries considered a better candidate than Playford due to his greater experience in parliament, including stints as acting Premier in Butler's absence."Mr Playford - Our new Premier", ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie, South Australia), 5 November 1938, p. 2. Jeffries indicated that he would stand for the position of leader of the

Liberal and Country League The South Australian Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division), and often shortened to SA Liberals, is the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. It was formed as the Lib ...

(LCL) (and therefore the premiership of South Australia) but when the leadership was held, Playford was unanimously elected. It was thought that Jeffries was overlooked for the Premiership because he was "prone to commit himself too inextricably on public questions, and that as he has made his position clear—too clear for the liking of many—on social issues prominently before the public at present, to make him Premier would be injudicious." Instead, Jeffries kept his portfolios of Attorney-General, Education, and Industry and Employment in the new Playford Ministry. Following an electoral redistribution, Jeffries switched to the

Electoral district of Torrens Torrens is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. Located along the River Torrens, it is named after Sir Robert Richard Torrens, a 19th-century Premier of South Australia noted for being the founder of ...

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

, where he served until his defeat at the 1944 election. He regained his seat in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

and retired in 1953.

Community activities

A lifelong

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, Jeffries was called "the most influential Methodist layman of his generation in South Australia", and served on many Church bodies, including the General Conference of the Methodist Church from 1917 to 1960, superintendent of the Blackwood Sunday School and the Mount Barker Rest Home.Wheaton, C. "Some of Our Church Workers", ''

Australian Christian Commonwealth The ''Australian Christian Commonwealth'' was a weekly newspaper published by Hussey & Gillingham in South Australia from 1901 to 1940. History The ''Australian Christian Commonwealth'' was first published on 4 January 1901. Although "new", t ...

'', 31 March 1933, p. 4. As a lay preacher, his preaching was described as "reasonable, urgent, fair, and sympathetic". and he was well known for his opposition to alcohol, with one writer commenting "How the beer-sellers hate S. W. Jeffries!!" Throughout his life Jeffries was heavily involved in community and philanthropic activities. In 1939 he became the inaugural chairman of the National Fitness Council of South Australia. Jeffries was instrumental in the establishment of Lincoln College at the

in 1952 and Westminster School in 1961 and for various periods served as a trustee of the Savings Bank of South Australia, Treasurer of the Memorial Hospital in Adelaide, a member of the South Australian branch of the

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

(YMCA) board and as president of the Commonwealth Club, the Adelaide Competitive Choir and the Patriotic Society. Jeffries was awarded a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

on 1 June 1953 for his services to public service in South Australia and the chapel at

Westminster School, Adelaide Westminster School is an independent, Uniting Church, Early Learning to Year 12, coeducational, day and boarding school located at Marion, South Australia, 12 km south of Adelaide. Founded as a Methodist day and boarding school for boys, ...

is named for him.

Personal life

Jeffries' brother, Lewis Jeffries, was a leading medical practitioner who served as inspector-general of hospitals in South Australia, and his sister, Elsie, was decorated for her work as an army nurse during WWI. Jeffries married Catherine Emma Padman at the Methodist Church, Kent Town, on 15 April 1914. They had one child, a son, who died in childhood. Following Catherine's death in February 1933, the 49 year old Jeffries married 25 year old Berta Marion Saint on 21 May 1935 at the Methodist Church, Rosefield. The wedding caused discussion in Adelaide as it was conducted in secret and none of Jeffries' political colleagues were invited."Mr Jeffries married", ''Recorder'', 28 May 1935, p. 4. Berta was described as "attractive, tall, and slim, and has very dark hair, contrasting with her fair skin. She is an old scholar of M.L.C., and since her schooldays has been a voluntary helper at the Children's Hospital. She is an excellent needlewoman." Berta gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, on 18 December 1936 and a boy, Richard, on 21 July 1941. Jeffries was hospitalised in August 1953 due to an arm injury following a fall at his home. Jeffries died suddenly at his home in

Leabrook, South Australia Leabrook is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside. It is a primarily residential suburb in eastern Adelaide, and was the site of Coopers Brewery, until its relocation to Regency Park, South Australia. Most of the subu ...

on 15 September 1963."Sir Shirley Jeffries Dies at 77", ''The Canberra Times'', 16 September 1963, p. 6.

References

Sources

* Cockburn, S. (1991) ''Playford: Benevolent Despot''. Axiom Publishing: Adelaide. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffries, Shirley Williams 1886 births 1963 deaths Liberal and Country League politicians Members of the South Australian House of Assembly Sturt Football Club players Norwood Football Club players Knights Bachelor 20th-century Australian politicians People from Shaw and Crompton Australian temperance activists Australian rules footballers from Adelaide English players of Australian rules football Attorneys-general of South Australia University of Adelaide alumni People educated at Prince Alfred College