Michael O'Keefe (Tasmanian politician)

Michael Ignatius O'Keefe (28 September 1864 – 2 October 1926) was an Australian politician who served in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1912 until his death, representing the Labor Party.

For other people with the same name, see Michael O'Keefe (disambiguation).

Michael O'Keefe
Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
In office
28 July 1925 – 2 October 1926
Preceded byJohn Evans
Succeeded byWalter Woods
Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly for Wilmot
In office
30 April 1912 – 2 October 1926
Personal details
Born(1864-09-28)28 September 1864
Selbourne, Tasmania, Australia
Died2 October 1926(1926-10-02) (aged 62)
Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia
Political partyLabor
OccupationMiner, politician, trade unionist

O'Keefe was born in Selbourne, near Westbury, Tasmania. He married Beatrice Dutton in 1896, and had four children. Before entering politics, he worked as a miner at Beaconsfield and Gormanston. He was a branch secretary of the Amalgamated Miners' Association.[1]

O'Keefe was elected to parliament at the 1912 state election, as one of the members for Wilmot. When Labor won the 1925 election, he was elected Speaker of the House.[2] On 15 July 1926, O'Keefe suffered severe injuries when the car in which he was travelling collided with a goods train near Perth. He lingered for several months before dying in Beaconsfield on 2 October. Future prime minister Joseph Lyons was also injured in the crash.[3]

References
  1. "OBITUARY: Hon. M. I. O'Keefe". The Hobart Mercury. 4 October 1926.
  2. "O'Keefe, Michael Ignatius". Members of the Parliament of Tasmania. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. Anne Henderson (2011). Joseph Lyons: The People's Prime Minister. NewSouth. p. 177.


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