David Jelley

David Jelley MLC. (ca.1871 – 27 January 1907) was a South Australian trades unionist who had a promising career in politics but died in office after one sitting. He was an older brother of James Jelley MLC. History David was the second of four children of John Jelley (ca.1847 – 6 June 1912), boring inspector, and Mrs. Elizabeth Stevenson Jelley (ca.1849 – 31 March 1929) who migrated to South Australia from Scotland around 1879, living initially in Wallaroo, then Port Adelaide, finally settling around 1884 at Stanley Street, Woodville. David was born in America during a visit by his parents, who returned to their native Scotland shortly after. They emigrated to South Australia around 1879 and David attended LeFevre's Peninsula and Port Adelaide State Schools for two years, and the Goodwood State School for five years. At the age of 13 the family moved to Woodville. David served an apprenticeship as ironmoulder with R. Lindsay at Port Adelaide, worked on Government bores south-west of Oodnadatta for three years, then worked at Fulton & Co.'s foundry at Kilkenny for another three, then was for seven years at Adelaide Steamship Company's Port Adelaide workshops. Politics He joined the Ironmoulders' Trades Society at 20 years of age, but it wasn't until around 1899 that he became a union official. He represented that union on the Trades and Labour Council, and was elected its President for one term. He also represented the Ironmoulders' Society on the Council of the United Labour Party for four years, and for over two years was on the executive council, and was President at the time of his death. In August 1906, as the Labor nominee, he won the Central district seat on the Legislative Council made vacant by the death of Henry William Thompson.