James Hutchison (Australian politician)

James Hutchison (20 April 1859 – 6 December 1909) was an Australian politician and printer. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), serving in the South Australian House of Assembly (1898–1902) and Australian House of Representatives (1903–1909). He was an honorary minister in the First Fisher Ministry (1908–1909).

The Honourable James Hutchison
Member of the Australian Parliament for Hindmarsh
In office 16 December 1903 – 6 December 1909
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	William Archibald
Member of the South Australian Parliament for East Adelaide
In office January 1898 – May 1902
Preceded by	John McPherson
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	(1859-04-20)20 April 1859 Aberdeen, Scotland
Died	6 December 1909(1909-12-06) (aged 50) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Mary Jane Trebilcock ​ ​ (m. 1886)​
Occupation	Politician, printer
Signature

Early life

Hutchison was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, received a primary education and was eventually apprenticed as a compositor on the Daily Free Press and attended the mechanics' institute. He migrated to South Australia in 1884 with fellow worker, John McPherson and they found work on the South Australian Register. In 1886, he married Mary Jane Trebilcock. In 1888, Hutchison and McPherson were sacked for taking part in a strike over their paper's opposition to union labor. In 1889 Hutchison established a press, Hutchison, Craker & Smith, with two other sacked compositors and in 1890 began publishing a satirical paper, Quiz.^[1]

South Australian politics

Hutchison in 1908

In December 1897, John McPherson, who had been elected as the United Labor Party member for the seat of East Adelaide in the South Australian House of Assembly, died and Hutchison won the subsequent by-election on 22 January 1898.^[2] In the House he supported the federation of Australia and White Australia. In his opposition to a bill authorising the take-over and electrification of some of Adelaide's horse tram lines, he made remarks about Charles Tucker, a supporter of the bill, which led Tucker to sue for libel, bankrupting Hutchison in April 1902. The seat of East Adelaide was abolished at the May 1902 election, Hutchison was not elected to any of the new seats.^[1]

Federal politics

At the 1903 federal election, Hutchison won the House of Representatives seat of Hindmarsh. From November 1908 until June 1909, Hutchison was an honorary minister in the first Fisher ministry representing the Minister for Defence in the House of Representatives. He died suddenly in Melbourne from "inflammation of the kidneys and gall bladder", survived by his wife and six children.^[1]