Jack Critchley | |
|---|---|
 Critchley c. 1950 | |
| Senator for South Australia | |
| In office 1 July 1947 – 30 June 1959 | |
| Preceded by | George McLeay |
| Succeeded by | Jim Toohey |
| Member of the South Australian House of Assembly for Burra Burra | |
| In office 5 April 1930 – 7 April 1933 | |
| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | George Jenkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 April 1892 Callington, South Australia |
| Died | 27 April 1964 (aged 72) Glengowrie, South Australia |
| Political party | Labor |
| Spouse |
Alice Cave (m. 1919) |
| Occupation |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service | Australian Imperial Force |
| Years of service | 1916–1918 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 10th Battalion |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
John Owen Critchley JP (18 April 1892 – 27 April 1964) was an Australian politician who served as a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1930 to 1933 and then the Australian Senate from 1947 to 1959. Born at Callington in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, and schooled in and around Petersburg (later Peterborough), Critchley completed an apprenticeship as a wheelwright, but was then sacked for forming a branch of his union. He was a founding member and also served twelve years on the executive of the Amalgamated Coach Rolling Stock Makers' and Wheelwrights' Society – later the Australian Coachmakers Employees' Federation then the Vehicle Builders Employees' Federation. He briefly served with the 10th Battalion on the Western Front in France and Belgium during World War I, but was repatriated as medically unfit, suffering from a neck condition.
Critchley returned to Peterborough and worked for South Australian Railways as a carpenter. He joined the Labor Party and was active in his local community, including serving two terms on the town council. He successfully ran as a Labor candidate for the seat of Burra Burra in the South Australian House of Assembly in the 1930 South Australian state election, but was defeated in 1933 after the Labor Party split over austerity measures and his expulsion from the party. He was readmitted to the party the following year, and worked as a vehicle registration clerk then managed clothing rations during World War II. In 1946 Critchley was elected to the Australian Senate, and served until 1958, being re-elected twice. He was opposition whip in the Senate from 1950 to 1957, responsible for maintaining party discipline. As a senator, Critchley advocated for returned servicemen, conservation, and railway reform, and was a fierce supporter of Labor's banking policies. He promoted a national perspective on a range of issues, including railway reform, conservation, and the flying of the Australian flag, and was a strong opponent of state parochialism. Illness caused him to step down as opposition whip in 1957, and he did not contest the 1958 election, retiring in June 1959. When he died five years later he was described by a fellow senator as "a true Labour man" who was "always ready to fight injustice and to resist it".