Hamilton Knight
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The Honourable Hamilton Knight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare | |
| In office 16 May 1941 – 29 October 1947 | |
| Preceded by | George Gollan |
| Succeeded by | Jack Baddeley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1888 |
| Died | 14 January 1964 (aged 75) |
| Party | Labor Party Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist) |
Hamilton Knight (9 December 1888 – 14 January 1964) was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1927 until 1947 . During his parliamentary career he was, at various times, a member of the Labor Party (ALP), the Australian Labor Party (NSW) and the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist). He was the Minister for Labour and Industry and Social Welfare for 6 years during the premiership of William McKell.
Knight was born in Sofala, New South Wales where his father had been a gold prospector. He was educated to elementary level at state schools near Sofala. At age 19 he traveled to New Zealand, where he worked as a coal miner, became a union activist and worked with his uncle, Bob Semple the Minister for Works in the first New Zealand Labour government. Knight returned to the western coal-fields of New South Wales in 1914 and worked as a miner until he was black-listed by the colliery owners because of his labour agitation in 1917. Attempts at working under an assumed name were unsuccessful but, in 1924, he was eventually employed in a state owned colliery in Lithgow, New South Wales. He was an official of the Miners Federation holding the positions of president of the Western New South Wales division and vice-president of the national federation. Knight was elected as an alderman of Lithgow Municipal Council between 1921 and 1928.[1]