View source for Henry Daglish

{{Short description|Australian politician (1866–1920)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = 
|name = Henry Daglish
|honorific-suffix = 
|image = HenryDaglish.jpeg
|imagesize = 175px
|caption = 
|alt = Black and white image of man with large moustache and short hair
|order = 6th
|office = Premier of Western Australia
|term_start = 10 August 1904
|term_end = 25 August 1905
|monarch = [[Edward VII]]
|governor = [[Frederick Bedford|Sir Frederick Bedford]]
|predecessor = [[Walter James (Australian politician)|Sir Walter James]]
|successor = [[Hector Rason]]
|office2 = [[Treasurer of Western Australia|Colonial Treasurer]]
|premier2 = ''Himself''
|term_start2 = 10 August 1904
|term_end2 = 25 August 1905
|predecessor2 = Hector Rason
|successor2 = Hector Rason
|office3 = [[Minister for Education (Western Australia)|Minister for Education]]
|premier3 = ''Himself''
|term_start3 = 10 August 1904
|term_end3 = 7 June 1905
|predecessor3 = [[Walter Kingsmill]]
|successor3 = [[Thomas Bath]]
|office4 = [[Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)|Leader of the Opposition]]
|premier4 = Hector Rason
|term_start4 = 25 August 1905
|term_end4 = 27 September 1905
|predecessor4 = ''New office''
|successor4 = [[William Dartnell Johnson|William Johnson]]
|office5 = Leader of the [[Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)|Labor Party]] in Western Australia
|term_start5 = 8 July 1904
|term_end5 = 27 September 1905
|predecessor5 = [[Robert Hastie]]
|successor5 = William Johnson
|office6 = [[Minister for Works (Western Australia)|Minister for Works]]
|premier6 = [[Frank Wilson (politician)|Frank Wilson]]
|term_start6 = 16 September 1910
|term_end6 = 3 October 1911
|predecessor6 = Frank Wilson
|successor6 = William Johnson
|office7 = Member of the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly]] for [[Electoral district of Subiaco|Subiaco]]
|term_start7 = 24 April 1901
|term_end7 = 3 October 1911
|predecessor7 = ''New seat''
|successor7 = [[Bartholomew James Stubbs]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|1866|11|18|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Ballarat]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[British Empire]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1920|8|16|1866|11|18|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Subiaco, Western Australia|Subiaco]], [[Western Australia]], [[Australia]]
| resting_place = [[Karrakatta Cemetery]]
|nationality = [[British subject]]
|party = [[Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)|Labor]] (1901–1905){{efn|name=Labor}}
|otherparty = Independent Labour (1905–1908){{br}}Liberal (1908–1911){{efn|name=Liberal}}
|spouse = {{Marriage|Edith May ([[née]] Bishop)|1894}}
|children = 2
|parents = William Daglish{{br}}Mary Ann (née James)
|alma_mater = [[University of Melbourne]]
|occupation = Mechanical engineer, public servant, trade union official, real estate agent<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" />
}}

'''Henry Daglish''' (18 November 1866 – 16 August 1920) was an Australian politician who was the sixth [[premier of Western Australia]] and the first from the [[Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)|Labor Party]],{{efn|name=Labor|Spelled as either "Labor" or "Labour" in the early 20th century. Originally called the Australian Labor Federation (WA), it was renamed to the Australian Labor Party in 1918.{{sfn|Oliver|2003|p=1}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article179842499 |title=Political Unity |newspaper=Daily Standard |date=6 December 1918 |access-date=22 July 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>}} serving from 10 August 1904 to 25 August 1905. Daglish was born in [[Ballarat]], Victoria, and studied at the [[University of Melbourne]]. In 1882, he worked as a mechanical engineer but soon switched to working in the Victorian public service. He first stood for election in 1896 but failed to win the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly]] seat of [[Electoral district of Melbourne South|Melbourne South]]. He then moved to [[Subiaco, Western Australia]], where he found work as a chief clerk in the Western Australian Police Department. In 1900, Daglish was elected to the [[Municipality of Subiaco|Subiaco Municipal Council]] and in April the following year, he was elected to the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly]] as the member for the newly created [[Electoral district of Subiaco|seat of Subiaco]], becoming one of six Labor members in the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly]]. The party elected him as its [[Whip (politics)|whip]], and he resigned from the Subiaco council on 1 May 1901. On 1 December 1902, Daglish was sworn in as [[List of mayors of Subiaco|mayor of Subiaco]], having been elected the previous month.

In the [[1904 Western Australian state election|1904 state election]], Labor won 22 of the Legislative Assembly's 50 seats, making it the party with the most seats. On 8 July 1904, the Labor Party caucus elected Daglish as the party's leader, and on 9 August, he successfully moved a [[motion of no confidence]] in the government of [[Walter James (Australian politician)|Walter James]], who resigned as premier on 10 August. [[Governor of Western Australia|Governor]] [[Frederick Bedford]] then swore in Daglish as premier of Western Australia, [[Treasurer of Western Australia|colonial treasurer]] and [[Minister for Education (Western Australia)|minister for education]]. His keynote speech on 23 August was poorly received; militant Labor supporters saw him as giving up on Labor policies. In parliament, Daglish struggled to achieve anything due to a hostile [[Western Australian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]; his one major success was the passing of a new Public Service Act. In June 1905, a cabinet reshuffle decreased Daglish's popularity within the Labor Party but he defeated a motion of no confidence at a caucus meeting later that month. Daglish resigned as premier on 22 August 1905 when his plan to buy the [[Midland Railway of Western Australia|Midland Railway Company]] for [[Pound sterling|£]]1.5 million ({{Inflation|AU|1500000|1905|fmt=eq|r=-5|cursign=[[Australian dollar|AU$]]}}) failed to pass through parliament. [[Hector Rason]] succeeded him as premier on 25 August.

On 27 September 1905, Daglish resigned as leader of the Labor Party. He then left the party and styled himself as an [[Independent politician|Independent]] Labor politician. He was again elected Mayor of Subiaco on 5 June 1907 and served until 1908. From August 1907 to September 1910, Daglish held the position of Chairman of Committees, and from September 1910 to October 1911, he was the [[Minister for Works (Western Australia)|minister for works]] in [[Frank Wilson (politician)|Frank Wilson's]] Liberal{{efn|name=Liberal|Also known as the [[Ministerialists and Oppositionists (Western Australia)|Ministerialists]], the Liberals were only a grouping within Parliament and were not a party [[Western Australian Liberal Party (1911–1917)|until 1911]]<ref name="Royal Commission"/>}} government. At the [[1911 Western Australian state election|October 1911 state election]], Daglish lost his seat in parliament to Labor candidate [[Bartholomew James Stubbs]] and failed to regain the seat at the [[1914 Western Australian state election|1914 state election]]. Daglish died at his home in Subiaco on 16 August 1920. [[Daglish railway station]] and the suburb of [[Daglish, Western Australia]], are named after him.

==Early life==
Henry Daglish was born in [[Ballarat]], Victoria, on 18 November 1866, to Mary Ann ([[née]] James) and William Daglish, an engine driver. He was educated in [[Geelong]] and in 1881 he attended the [[University of Melbourne]]. He gained a mechanical engineering apprenticeship at a foundry in 1882<ref name="Parliament biography">{{cite web |title=Henry Daglish |url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/(Lookup)/849A765ED6F98F3F482577E50028A5A0 |website=Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography">{{cite web |last1=Gibbney |first1=H. J. |title=Daglish, Henry (1866–1920) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/daglish-henry-5862 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=21 February 2022 |date=1981}}</ref><ref name="Western Mail 19 August 1920">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37469349 |title=Death Of Mr. H. Daglish. |newspaper=Western Mail |date=19 August 1920 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> but a year later, he left engineering to join the public service as a clerk in the Victorian Police Department.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /><ref name="Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition">{{cite web |title=Premiers – Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition |url=https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/premiers-constitutional-centre-of-western-australia-exhibition#henry-daglish-labor |website=Government of Western Australia |access-date=21 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220051425/https://www.wa.gov.au/government/publications/premiers-constitutional-centre-of-western-australia-exhibition#henry-daglish-labor |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 20 August 1894, in [[Carlton, Victoria]], Daglish married Edith May Bishop,{{efn|'''Edith Daglish''' ( – 28 May 1946), born in [[Smythesdale, Victoria]], was secretary and librarian of Subiaco Municipal Library for 23 years. She was active in civic affairs, and awarded an OBE for her support of the fighting forces in the 1914–18 war. She was an active member of the [[Women's Service Guilds of W.A.]]. She died in a Perth hospital following an accident, when she was hit by a truck. A. E. Bishop, sporting editor of ''The Argus'' and ''The Australasian'', was a brother.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22246866 |title=Obituary |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=31,138 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=19 June 1946 |access-date=26 April 2024 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>}} with whom he had a son, H. Daglish, of the Bank of New South Wales, [[Narrabeen]], and a daughter, Rae Daglish.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> With an increasing interest in the [[Australian labour movement|labour movement]], by June 1895, Daglish was the secretary of the United Public Service Association. In September 1895, he went into business<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> as an auctioneer, accountant and legal manager.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=82}}

In 1895 and 1896, Daglish was a member of the [[National Anti-Sweating League]], a group campaigning against the poor conditions endured by low-paid workers.<ref name="The West Australian 12 July 1904">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25093148 |title=The New Labour Leader |newspaper=The West Australian |date=12 July 1904 |access-date=7 March 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name="Sunday Figaro"/> In 1896, Daglish stood in a by-election for the [[electoral district of Melbourne South|seat of Melbourne South]] in the [[Victorian Legislative Assembly]], receiving 34 out of 2,192 total votes.<ref name="Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84721311 |title=Intercolonial News |newspaper=The Daily News |date=8 June 1896 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Later the same year, Daglish moved to Western Australia (WA) after taking an offer of [[Pound sterling|£]]200 ({{Inflation|AU|200|1896|fmt=eq|r=-2|cursign=[[Australian dollar|AU$]]}}) to resign from the recession-hit Victorian public service; he settled in the working-class suburb [[Subiaco, Western Australia|Subiaco]], {{convert|4|km|abbr=on}} west of [[Perth]], the state capital.<ref name="1985 book">{{cite book |last1=Spillman |first1=Ken |author-link=Ken Spillman |title=Identity Prized : A History of Subiaco |date=1985 |publisher=University of Western Australia Press |isbn=0-85564-239-4}}</ref>{{rp|p=116}} Daglish wrote a letter to [[Premier of Western Australia|Premier]] [[John Forrest]] requesting work in the WA public service in 1897; he was offered and accepted a position as assistant to the chief clerk in the WA Police Department.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /><ref name="Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition"/> He later resigned and entered business as an auctioneer, accountant and legal manager.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition" />

==Political career==
In November 1899, Daglish unsuccessfully stood for election to the Central Ward of the [[Municipality of Subiaco|Subiaco Municipal Council]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article67190272 |title=Subiaco |newspaper=The Inquirer And Commercial News |date=24 November 1899 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The following year, he was elected unopposed to the council's South Ward,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79419553 |title=Municipal: The Annual Elections |newspaper=The Daily News |date=20 November 1900 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> his term starting on 1 December 1900.<ref name="Parliament biography" />

Daglish resigned from the public service in 1901 to stand as a [[Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)|Labor Party]]{{efn|name=Labor}} candidate in the newly created [[Electoral district of Subiaco|seat of Subiaco]] in the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly]].<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /><ref name="Western Mail 19 August 1920"/> In the [[1901 Western Australian state election]] on 24 April, Daglish was elected to that seat with the largest majority in the state, and became the [[Whip (politics)|whip]] of the Labor Party. The party had only seven members, all of whom, aside from Daglish, represented seats in the mining regions of [[Shire of Murchison|Murchison]] and the [[Goldfields–Esperance|Goldfields]].{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=1–2}} He tendered his resignation from the Subiaco Municipal Council on 1 May 1901.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24731222 |title=Subiaco Municipal Council. |newspaper=The West Australian |date=3 May 1901 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

One of Daglish's successes in his first term is the carrying of his motion in favour of an [[Eight-hour working day#Australia|eight-hour working day]] for the Railway Department.<ref name="The West Australian 12 July 1904"/><ref name="Sunday Figaro"/> He was also successful in stopping the spending of money to help public servants immigrate from England, instead spending the money on assisting Western Australian workers migrate their families from the eastern states. He also advocated for the [[Alienation (property law)|non-alienation]] of crown lands and the introduction of a comprehensive system of old age pensions.<ref name="The West Australian 12 July 1904"/>

In November 1902, Daglish was elected unopposed as [[List of mayors of Subiaco|mayor of Subiaco]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37538354 |title=Subiaco |newspaper=Western Mail |date=15 November 1902 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He was sworn in on 1 December 1902 by [[Walter James (Australian politician)|Walter James]], the premier of Western Australia. The premier had earlier made a speech heaping much praise on Daglish.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37539454 |title=Subiaco |newspaper=Western Mail |date=6 December 1902 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He was again elected mayor unopposed the following year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24837582 |title=Municipal Elections. |newspaper=The West Australian |date=11 November 1903 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Daglish was appointed to the [[Kings Park, Western Australia|Kings Park]] Board in his capacity as the member for Subiaco in October 1902.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24845771 |title=Personal |newspaper=The West Australian |date=13 October 1902 |access-date=7 March 2022 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In January 1903, Daglish joined the Perth Hospital Board, which managed Perth Public Hospital (now known as [[Royal Perth Hospital]]).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24852713 |title=News And Notes |newspaper=The West Australian |date=16 January 1903 |access-date=7 March 2022 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On the board, he "earned a reputation for shouldering the real or fancied troubles of dissatisfied ex-patients".<ref name="The West Australian 12 July 1904"/> He was also a member of the [[Galup|Lake Monger]] Board and the [[Karrakatta Cemetery]] Board.<ref name="The West Australian 12 July 1904" />

In February 1904, the Labor Party held a conference at which they decided on the issues of their campaigning and platforms they would take to the next election. The issues were:{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=281}}<ref name="The West Australian 8 February 1904">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25080709 |title=State Politics |newspaper=The West Australian |date=8 February 1904 |access-date=10 August 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
* Referendum on abolishing the [[Western Australian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]
* A tax on unimproved land values and no further [[Alienation (property law)|alienation]] of crown lands
* Old age pensions
* Maximum working day of eight hours
* Local control and state management of the liquor trade
* Departmental construction of public works
* Nationalisation of monopolies and the establishment of a Department of Labour
* State banking and insurance
* Limitation on state borrowing except for the purpose of reproductive works
* The establishment of a [[sinking fund]] for the redemption of all future loans

In the general campaign were policies of electoral, taxation, land, industrial and mining reform.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=281}}<ref name="The West Australian 8 February 1904"/>

===Premier of Western Australia===
The Labor Party supported all but two pieces of the government's legislation during the [[Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1901–1904|fourth parliament]].{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=52}} Despite this, they withdrew support for the [[James Ministry]] in August 1903.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> At the [[1904 Western Australian state election|July 1904 state election]], Daglish was re-elected with 80% of Subiaco's vote.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=289}} The Labor Party won 22 seats, James's [[Ministerialists and Oppositionists (Western Australia)|Ministerialist]] faction won 18 seats, and independents won 10 seats.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=37}} The number of seats Labor won surprised most people, many of whom expected only a modest increase over the seven seats won in 1901.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=37, 66}} Two bills that passed in the previous session of parliament helped Labor; the ''Redistribution of Seats Act 1904'' created new electorates in areas where Labor did well,{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=37–38}} and the ''Electoral Act 1904'' abolished [[plural voting]] for property owners and made it easier for newcomers to Western Australia to qualify for the electoral roll.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=39}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69935307 |title=The Forthcoming Election |newspaper=The Albany Advertiser |date=11 May 1904 |access-date=12 August 2022 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Labor leader [[Robert Hastie]] said James should not resign until parliament met,{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=76}} and so James continued as premier following the election.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> On 8 July 1904, the Labor Party caucus elected Daglish as the party's leader. Labor leader Hastie was universally hated and the leadership ballot was initially going to be between Hastie, Daglish, [[George Taylor (Australian politician)|George Taylor]], [[Patrick Lynch (Australian politician)|Patrick Lynch]], [[Wallace Nelson]] and [[Henry Augustus Ellis|Henry Ellis]]. Hastie pulled out of the contest, and only Daglish and Taylor were left. Newspapers reported the vote was almost unanimously for Daglish.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=79–80}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25092983 |title=The Political Situation |newspaper=The West Australian |date=9 July 1904 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The party decided to sit in opposition and not try and seek government because the caucus had been divided on whether to align with independents sympathetic for the party's cause.{{sfn|Buttfield|1979|p=81}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38685051 |title=Interview With Mr Daglish |newspaper=Western Mail |date=16 July 1904 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> When Daglish was elected Labor leader, the ''Sunday Figaro'', a newspaper in [[Kalgoorlie]], said he was "certainly one of the best debaters in the Legislative Assembly. He is a quiet, deliberate speaker, given more to argument than declamation, bearing in this respect a likeness to [Prime Minister [[Chris Watson]]]".<ref name="Sunday Figaro">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article260665151 |title=Labor Ministers |newspaper=Sunday Figaro |date=14 August 1904 |access-date=7 March 2022 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

On 9 August, Daglish successfully moved a [[motion of no confidence]] and James resigned as premier on 10 August. [[Governor of Western Australia|Governor]] [[Frederick Bedford]] then swore in Daglish as premier of Western Australia, [[Treasurer of Western Australia|colonial treasurer]] and [[Minister for Education (Western Australia)|minister for education]].<ref name="The West Australian 11 August 1904"/> He was the first Labor Party premier of WA,<ref name="Constitutional Centre of Western Australia exhibition" /> the sixth overall, and at 37 years of age, the youngest premier of the state at the time and the fourth-youngest {{As of|2022|alt=as of 2022}}.<ref name="Parliamentary handbook">{{cite book |title=The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook |edition=25th |url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/WebCMS/webcms.nsf/resources/file-parliamentary-handbook/$file/Handbook%202021.pdf |via=Parliament of Western Australia |pages=260–261, 330 |isbn=978-1-925580-43-3 |date=2021 |first=David |last=Black |publisher=Legislative Council of the Parliament of Western Australia |author-link=David Black (historian)}}</ref> [[Daglish Ministry|Daglish's Cabinet]] were sworn in the same day; his party granted him the freedom to choose his own cabinet.<ref name="The West Australian 11 August 1904">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25095477 |title=The Political Situation |newspaper=The West Australian |date=11 August 1904 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Due to constitutional requirements that at least one minister be from the Legislative Council, Daglish invited [[John Drew (Australian politician)|John Drew]], an unaligned politician, into the ministry, resulting in criticism from within his own party.{{sfn|Oliver|2003}} Despite becoming premier, Daglish did not move from Subiaco to a more affluent area as many other premiers had.<ref name="1985 book"/>{{rp|p=116}} Immediate problems for Daglish were the state's poor financial situation and an inexperienced cabinet made up of unions that were hostile to each other.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" />

At Kings Hall, Subiaco, on 23 August, Daglish delivered a speech that was poorly received; militant Labor supporters saw him as giving up on Labor policies. He said the state's finances were in a poor position and expenditure was to be reduced. Newspapers mocked his use of the phrase "mark time policy" and so his government became known as the "mark time government".<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" />{{sfn|Oliver|2003|p=18}} In the same speech, Daglish proposed a referendum on abolishing the Legislative Council, a bill to introduce pensions for those over 60 years and who had lived in the state for 10 years, the introduction of land tax with exemptions for properties valued below £1,000 ({{Inflation|AU|1000|1904|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) with the land value determined by the owner), the granting of greater job security for public servants, the establishment of a Department of Labor for the administration of workplace relations legislation, the amendment of the ''Truck Act'', and companies and mining legislation to prevent monopolies and ensure all companies conducting business in Western Australia would have at least two local directors. Concerns with Daglish's speech included his lack of a clear policy for unemployment and that the tax exemption for land worth below £1,000 was a "violation of the Labor platform".{{sfn|Oliver|2003|p=18}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38687384 |title=Policy Speech Points |newspaper=Western Mail |date=27 August 1904 |access-date=21 April 2022 |page=32 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> A few days later, Daglish said; "we have never, as a Labor Party advocated the abolition of the Legislative Council".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article258760712 |title=Policy Points |newspaper=The North Coolgardie Herald |date=31 August 1904 |access-date=21 April 2022 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The Legislative Council prevented much of Daglish's agenda; his government's one major change was the passing of a new Public Service Act.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> He twice introduced a bill for a referendum to abolish the Legislative Council; the first bill was discharged at the end of the session<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Australia Parliamentary Debates: Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly: Fifth Parliament–First Session |url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Hansard/hansard1870to1995.nsf/83cc4ce93b5d4e0b48257b33001cfef6/B0D0B7970510BD5648257A5200258BE1/$File/1904%20Index.pdf |website=Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=22 July 2022 |page=10 |date=1904}}</ref> and the second failed to pass before the Daglish government resigned.<ref name="Fifth Parliament–Second Session">{{cite web |title=Western Australia Parliamentary Debates: Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly: Fifth Parliament–Second Session |url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/hansard/hansard1870to1995.nsf/83cc4ce93b5d4e0b48257b33001cfef6/54905FDA969ACFFF48257A520025A2B0/$File/1905%20Index.pdf |website=Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=22 July 2022 |page=8 |date=1905}}</ref> Daglish did not contest the November 1904 Subiaco municipal election; he was succeeded as mayor by [[John Henry Prowse]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256803263 |title=Subiaco |newspaper=The Guardian : Suburban And Municipal Recorder |date=19 November 1904 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Daglish reshuffled his cabinet on 7 June 1905, making [[Thomas Bath]] the minister for education, leaving himself as premier and colonial treasurer. [[Patrick Lynch (Australian politician)|Patrick Lynch]] was added to cabinet, and George Taylor and [[John Holman (politician)|John Holman]] were clumsily demoted. The cabinet reshuffle caused a split in the Labor Party;  Daglish's opponents said he acted towards his colleagues in a high-handed and humiliating manner.<ref name="Premiers book">{{cite book |last1=Reid |first1=G. S. |author-link1=Gordon Reid (governor) |last2=Oliver |first2=M. R. |title=The premiers of Western Australia, 1890–1982 |date=1982 |publisher=University of Western Australia Press |location=Nedlands, W.A. |isbn=0855642149 |pages=33–34}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article209358611 |title=The Daglish Ministry Reconstructed |newspaper=The Southern Cross Times |date=10 June 1905 |access-date=6 March 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On 18 June, ''[[The Sunday Times (Western Australia)|The Sunday Times]]'' wrote; "it has taken the Labor Party in politics&nbsp;– and in Parliament&nbsp;– nearly a year to find out that its leader is not in every particular, fully qualified to hold responsible office".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57203104 |title=The Discovery Of Daglish |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=18 June 1905 |access-date=7 March 2022 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> At a meeting of the Labor caucus on 26 June, Daglish defeated a motion of no confidence 14–3.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56670191 |title=A Labour Crisis |newspaper=The Register |date=28 June 1905 |access-date=7 March 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

After this, the government created a plan to buy the [[Midland Railway of Western Australia|Midland Railway Company]] for £1.5 million ({{Inflation|AU|1500000|1905|fmt=eq|r=-5}}). The company owned the [[Midland railway line, Western Australia|Midland railway line]], which ran from [[Midland Junction]] near Perth to [[Walkaway, Western Australia|Walkaway]] near [[Geraldton]]. Opponents criticised the price for being too high, and Daglish failed to get approval from parliament on 17 August.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> On Monday 22 August, the Daglish Ministry resigned; the state's governor gave the Liberal{{efn|name=Liberal}}-aligned [[Hector Rason]] until the end of the week to form a cabinet.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87139932 |title=Political |newspaper=Bunbury Herald |date=23 August 1905 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On 25 August, the governor accepted the resignations of Daglish and his ministry, and appointed Hector Rason and the [[Rason Ministry]] to replace them.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25522209 |title=The Political Outlook |newspaper=The West Australian |date=26 August 1905 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

===After premier===
On 27 September 1905, Daglish resigned as leader of the Labor Party<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article209359340 |title=Labor Caucus |newspaper=The Southern Cross Times |date=30 September 1905 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and on 4 October, [[William Dartnell Johnson|William Johnson]] was elected leader of the party.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37808622 |title=The Labour Party |newspaper=Western Mail |date=7 October 1905 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=33 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Daglish later left the party<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217441052 |title=Mr. Daglish |newspaper=Coolgardie Miner |date=10 October 1905 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and began styling himself as an [[Independent politician|Independent]] Labor politician.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> On 4 October, Rason moved for the discharge of the referendum bill; the motion was defeated 18 votes to 16 and the following day, the premier met with the governor to dissolve the Legislative Assembly.<ref name="Fifth Parliament–Second Session"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25525235 |title=Defeat Of The Government |newspaper=The West Australian |date=5 October 1905 |access-date=22 July 2022 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> [[1905 Western Australian state election|The resulting election]] was called for 27 October. Labor Party lost eight seats at the election but Daglish narrowly retained his seat.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> The failure of Daglish's government caused the Labor Party to be more careful in selecting candidates and to use more discipline.<ref>{{cite Q |Q5773872 |last= |first= |chapter= |page=111 |editor1-last=Gregory |editor1-first=Jenny |editor1-link=Jenny Gregory |editor2-last=Gothard |editor2-first=Janice }}</ref>

On 5 June 1907, Daglish was again elected Mayor of Subiaco,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217456430 |title=Personal |newspaper=Coolgardie Miner |date=8 June 1907 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> following the resignation of the previous mayor Austin Bastow.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256799246 |title=Mayor Bastow and Councillor Vickers. |newspaper=The Guardian : Suburban And Municipal Recorder |date=18 May 1907 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Daglish was sworn in on 12 June 1907.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256596189 |title=Personal |newspaper=The Evening Mail |date=13 June 1907 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He was re-elected unopposed in November 1907<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57574025 |title=Municipal Elections |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=1 December 1907 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and did not re-contest the post in 1908.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26215150 |title=Subiaco Sanitary Site |newspaper=The West Australian |date=3 December 1908 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

From 20 August 1907 to 16 September 1910, Daglish held the position of Chairman of Committees. From 16 September 1910 to 3 October 1911, he was the [[Minister for Works (Western Australia)|minister for works]] in [[Frank Wilson (politician)|Frank Wilson's]] Liberal{{efn|name=Liberal}} government.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Western Mail 19 August 1920"/> At the [[1911 Western Australian state election|October 1911 state election]], Daglish lost his seat in parliament to Labor candidate [[Bartholomew James Stubbs]]. At the [[1914 Western Australian state election|following election in 1914]], Daglish unsuccessfully stood for the seat of Subiaco.<ref name="Parliament biography" />

==Outside politics==
From {{circa|1902}} to 1906, Daglish was president of [[Subiaco Football Club]].<ref name="Subiaco FC Past Club Staff"/><ref name="Subiaco Oval inHerit"/> During 1906, he helped hold off a campaign by [[North Fremantle Football Club]] for Subiaco's expulsion from the [[Western Australian Football Association]] after several years of poor performance. The club had been playing next to [[Shenton Park Lake]], and the club's ground was wet and muddy. Daglish helped secure money from the Municipality of Subiaco for the construction of a playing ground at [[Mueller Park]], which later became known as [[Subiaco Oval]].<ref>{{cite news |title=At age 100, do you deserve a facelift? |work=Western Suburbs Weekly |date=11 November 2008 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McClelland |first1=Peter |title=Icons |work=Sunday Times Magazine |date=22 June 2008 |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25637150 |title=Football: The Australian Game: Special Meeting of the Association |newspaper=The West Australian |date=12 April 1906 |access-date=2 June 2022 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57234466 |title=Football: The Set Against Subiaco |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=30 September 1906 |access-date=2 June 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The club relocated there in 1908.<ref name="Subiaco Oval inHerit"/> In 1911, Daglish again served as president of Subiaco Football Club.<ref name="Subiaco FC Past Club Staff">{{cite web |title=Past Club Staff – Subiaco FC |url=https://www.subiacofc.com.au/history/past-club-staff |website=Subiaco Football Club |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="Subiaco Oval inHerit">{{cite web |title=Subiaco Oval |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/PrintSingleRecord/5d551936-3d09-4f53-b94b-80895bef0a81 |website=inHerit |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref> From 1912, Daglish worked as an estate agent and from March that year, he was appointed the employers' representative in the [[Court of Arbitration]], a post in which served until his death.<ref name="Parliament biography" /><ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /><ref name="Western Mail 19 August 1920"/>

==Death and legacy==
In 1920, Daglish, who had been ill for several months, travelled to Melbourne for medical treatment. In Melbourne, he had an operation and was diagnosed with cancer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article211877954 |title=Personal |newspaper=Daily Telegraph And North Murchison And Pilbarra Gazette |date=29 July 1920 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Daglish returned to Perth, arriving on 12 August 1920, and died at his home in Subiaco four days later.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /><ref name="Western Mail 19 August 1920"/> He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery.<ref name="Australian Dictionary of Biography" /> He was survived by his wife Edith, who died aged 71 on 28 May 1946, and his two children.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78255635 |title=Mrs. Daglish Dies |newspaper=The Daily News |date=29 May 1946 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50343453 |title=Woman's Realm |newspaper=The West Australian |date=29 May 1946 |access-date=21 February 2022 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Although the Daglish government was little-remembered decades later, the Labor Party's coming to power marked the start of two-party politics in Western Australia. Labor came to be seen as the alternative to the [[Ministerialists and Oppositionists (Western Australia)|Ministerialists]], also known as Liberals.{{sfn|Oliver|2003|p=22}}<ref name="Royal Commission">{{cite web |title=Royal Commission Into Parliamentary Deadlocks – Volume 2 Background Papers |url=https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/intranet/libpages.nsf/WebFiles/Royal+Commission+into+Parliamentary+Deadlocks+Volume+2/$FILE/Royal+Commission+into+Parliamentary+deadlocks+vol+2.pdf |website=Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=22 July 2022 |page=20 |date=1985}}</ref> When Daglish resigned, he became Western Australia's first [[Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)|leader of the opposition]].<ref name="Parliamentary handbook"/>

[[Daglish railway station]], which opened in 1924 on the western edge of Subiaco, was named after Henry Daglish.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37632578 |title=Photo F. W. Flood |newspaper=Western Mail |date=3 July 1924 |access-date=30 November 2021 |page=29 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130134912/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37632578 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Thematic History and Framework">{{cite web |last1=Bizzaca |first1=Kristy |title=City of Subiaco Thematic History and Framework |url=https://www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/CityofSubiaco/media/City-of-Subiaco/Planning-and-development/Heritage-buildings-and-places/Subiaco-Thematic-History-Framework_1.pdf |website=City of Subiaco |access-date=27 November 2021 |date=February 2014 |archive-date=19 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319045110/https://www.subiaco.wa.gov.au/CityofSubiaco/media/City-of-Subiaco/Planning-and-development/Heritage-buildings-and-places/Subiaco-Thematic-History-Framework_1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{rp|p=32}} The Perth suburb [[Daglish, Western Australia|Daglish]], adjacent to the railway station, was also named after him. The Subiaco house in which Daglish lived in from 1908 is heritage listed.<ref>{{cite web |title=House |url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/PrintSingleRecord/3085bc3f-7482-4e96-9963-e53539ad4324 |website=inHerit |access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Daglish Ministry]]
* [[Imprisonment of John Drayton]], which occurred while Daglish was premier
* [[Electoral results for the district of Subiaco]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist |30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
*{{cite thesis |last=Buttfield |first=E. S. |date=1979 |title=The Daglish Ministry 1904-5 : Western Australia's first Labor Government |degree=MA |publisher=University of Western Australia |url=https://onesearch.library.uwa.edu.au/permalink/61UWA_INST/1vk1d8f/alma9963778902101}}
*{{cite book |last1=Oliver |first1=Bobbie |title=Unity is strength: A history of the Australian Labor Party and the Trades and Labor Council in Western Australia, 1899–1999 |date=2003 |publisher=API Network, Australia Research Institute, Curtin University |isbn=1920845011 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339616467 |access-date=21 April 2022}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin |30em}}
*{{citation |last1=Daglish |first1=Henry |title=Papers relating to his time as Premier of Western Australia |publication-date=1904 |url=https://catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b1704625~S2 |via=[[J S Battye Library]]}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/parliament/library/MPHistoricalData.nsf/32e457f9ba7d7c5148257b5500242416/849a765ed6f98f3f482577e50028a5a0/$FILE/Daglish,%20Henry,%20Inaugural%20Speech.pdf Inaugural speech]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-wa-la}}
{{s-new|title }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Electoral district of Subiaco|Member for Subiaco]] | years=24 April 1901 – 3 October 1911}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Bartholomew James Stubbs]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box | title=[[Premier of Western Australia]] | before=[[Walter James (Australian politician)|Sir Walter James]] | after=[[Hector Rason|Sir Hector Rason]] | years=10 August 1904 – 25 August 1905}}
{{succession box | title=[[Colonial Treasurer of Western Australia]] | before=[[Hector Rason|Sir Hector Rason]] | after=[[Hector Rason|Sir Hector Rason]] | years=10 August 1904 – 25 August 1905}}
{{succession box | title=[[Minister for Education (Western Australia)|Minister for Education]] | before=[[Walter Kingsmill|Sir Walter Kingsmill]] | after=[[Thomas Bath]] | years=10 August 1904 – 7 June 1905}}
{{s-new|title }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)|Leader of the Opposition]] | years=25 August 1905 – 27 September 1905}}
{{s-aft | after = [[William Dartnell Johnson|William Johnson]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Minister for Works (Western Australia)|Minister for Works]] | before=[[Frank Wilson (politician)|Frank Wilson]] | after=[[William Dartnell Johnson|William Johnson]] | years=16 September 1910 – 3 October 1911}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box | title=Leader of the [[Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)|Labor Party in Western Australia]] | before=[[Robert Hastie]] | after=[[William Dartnell Johnson|William Johnson]] | years=8 July 1904 – 27 September 1905}}
{{s-civ}}
{{succession box | title=[[List of mayors of Subiaco|Mayor of Subiaco]] | before=[[Austin Bastow]]{{br}}Austin Bastow | after=[[John Prowse|John Henry Prowse]]{{br}}Thomas Harold Shirley White | years=1902–1904{{br}}1907–1908}}
{{s-end}}

{{Subject bar |auto=y |portal1=Western Australia |portal2=Biography }}
{{Premiers of Western Australia}}
{{Labor Party (WA)}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Daglish, Henry}}
[[Category:1866 births]]
[[Category:1920 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Ballarat]]
[[Category:Australian public servants]]
[[Category:Mayors of Subiaco]]
[[Category:Leaders of the opposition in Western Australia]]
[[Category:Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Premiers of Western Australia]]
[[Category:Subiaco Football Club administrators]]
[[Category:Treasurers of Western Australia]]
[[Category:Chairpersons of Committees of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia]]
[[Category:Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery]]
[[Category:City of Subiaco councillors]]
[[Category:Ministers for education (Western Australia)]]