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John Cosgrave (1876–1931)

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John James Jack Cosgrave (1877-1931) metal polisher, union official and political campaigner 

Birth: 1876 at Kera, Victoria, son of Patrick Edward Cosgrove or Cosgrave (1843-1888) and Catherine, née Murphy. Marriage: 1901 in Victoria to Elizabeth Agnes ‘Bertha’ Hartigan. They had two daughters. Death: 18 March 1931 in hospital at East Melbourne. 

  • Secretary, Cycle Trades Union and in 1916 founding secretary of the Militant Propaganda League, within Australian Labor Party.
  • Resigned when health failed, seeking work in Tasmania.
  • Back in Melbourne became secretary of Electroplaters’ Union.
  • In 1928 was working as a grinder and living at Richmond.
  • 1929 was campaign secretary for ALP campaign in Flinders.

Sources
obituary, Labor Call (Melbourne), 2 April 1931, p 5 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/249977484; Labour History 5; Samuel Merrifield papers, State Library of Victoria.

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Citation details

'Cosgrave, John (1876–1931)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/cosgrave-john-33162/text41367, accessed 28 April 2025.

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