Andrew Lacey

Andrew William Lacey (19 October 1887 – 24 August 1946) was the 22nd Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of South Australia from 1933 to 1938, representing the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party. Lacey was previously the Labor member for the seat of Grey in the Australian House of Representatives from 1922 to 1931.

Early life

Of Irish Protestant heritage, Lacey was born in Terowie, South Australia to labourer George Lacey and his wife Mary Ellen, attended the local public school and became one of the area's leading sprinters before commencing work in the Port Pirie smelters.

Politics

Following his marriage to Helene Clara Welke on 13 October 1908, Lacey became increasingly involved in the trade union movement and was employed as the Australian Workers' Union organiser at the smelter from 1916-22. His high profile in the smelters led to his election to Port Pirie Municipal Council in 1920, a position he held until 1922 when he successfully stood as the Labor candidate for the Federal Division of Grey against the incumbent Alexander Poynton, a former Labor member who left the party over conscription in World War I.