Jim Cope

The Honourable
Jim Cope
CMG
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Cook
In office
21 May 1955  10 December 1955
Preceded by Tom Sheehan
Succeeded by Seat abolished
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Watson
In office
10 December 1955  25 October 1969
Preceded by Dan Curtin
Succeeded by Seat abolished
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Sydney
In office
25 October 1969  11 November 1975
Preceded by New seat
Succeeded by Les McMahon
15th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
In office
27 February 1973  27 February 1975
Preceded by Sir William Aston
Succeeded by Gordon Scholes
Personal details
Born (1907-11-26)26 November 1907
Sydney, New South Wales
Died 3 February 1999(1999-02-03) (aged 91)
Nationality Australian
Political party Australian Labor Party
Occupation Glassworker

James Francis Cope, CMG (26 November 1907  3 February 1999) was an Australian politician, and Speaker of the House of Representatives for two years 1973–75, resigning abruptly in dramatic circumstances when he came into conflict with the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

Biography

Born in Sydney in 1907,[1] Jim Cope attended public schools and became a glassworker. He rose to Federal Treasurer of the Australian Glassworkers' Union, and was also a member of Redfern Council.

In 1955 he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in a by-election for the seat of Cook, representing the Australian Labor Party. Cook was abolished in the federal election of that year and Cope contested Watson instead, winning the seat. He held Watson until its abolition in 1969, when he transferred to the new seat of Sydney, which he held until 1975.

On 27 February 1973, Cope was appointed the first Labor Speaker of the House since 1950. On 27 February 1975, the second anniversary of his election as speaker, he resigned after the Whitlam government refused to support him when he named Clyde Cameron, a government minister. Cope retired from parliament at the double dissolution election of 11 November 1975.

In the New Year's Honours of 1978, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), for his services to the parliament.[2]

Jim Cope died in 1999.[3]

References

  1. National Library of Australia, Transcript of Oral History Interview with James Cope; Retrieved 15 October 2013
  2. It's an Honour
  3. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Archived from the original on 20 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
William Aston
Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
1973–1975
Succeeded by
Gordon Scholes
Preceded by
Tom Sheehan
Member for Cook
1955
Succeeded by
Division abolished
Preceded by
Dan Curtin
Member for Watson
1955–1969
Succeeded by
Division abolished
Preceded by
New seat
Member for Sydney
1969–1975
Succeeded by
Les McMahon
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