Oscar Oates

Edgar Alfred "Oscar" Oates (1 November 1889 – 2 September 1951 ^[a]) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1933 until his death.

He was born at Kangaroo Flat, 5 km north of Gawler, and was educated at the Gawler school, before working as a wharf labourer at Port Adelaide. He was a member of the Waterside Workers Federation from 1916 to the day he died, and served as president of its Port Adelaide branch and on its state executive. He was a fierce union rival of future independent MP Thomas Thompson, ousting Thompson as branch president and expelling him from the union.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} He was also president of the SA Public Schools Committees' Association and president of the state executive of the Working Men's Association.^[7][8][4]

He was elected for Labor in 1933 to the Legislative Council for the Central No. 1 district, with a substantial support from preferences.^[9]

During his term of office he made three attempts to introduce a State lottery, and was about to make a fourth on the week he died. He also made considerable attempts to have a new hospital built in the Port Adelaide area. He was a member of the Parliamentary Land Settlement Committee, and Libraries and Printing Committees.^[2]

He died suddenly at his Rosewater home in 1951 while still in office; he had been scheduled to be the main speaker at a Labor rally later that day.^[2] He was buried at Cheltenham Cemetery, and the Waterside Workers' Federation donated a new pulpit for Dale Street Central Mission Church in his honour.^[10][11]

He was married to Ada Grace; they had a son, Alfred J. G. Oates of Rosewater and a daughter Joan, Mrs. A McDonald of Rosewater Gardens. They lived at 38 Junction road. Rosewater.