Ted Needham

Born in Lancashire, he was educated at Catholic schools before becoming a coal miner and shipyard worker. He migrated to Australia in 1900, becoming a boilermaker in Fremantle, Western Australia. He was a union and Labor Party official.

Ted Needham
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office 9 July 1926 – 25 June 1929
Preceded by	Albert Gardiner
Succeeded by	John Daly
Senator for Western Australia
In office 1 July 1907 – 30 June 1920
In office 1 July 1923 – 30 June 1929
Personal details
Born	Edward Needham (1872-09-30)30 September 1872 Lancashire, England
Died	26 October 1956(1956-10-26) (aged 84)
Nationality	English Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Lillian Needham, née Lillian Gosden
Children	2 boys
Occupation	Boilermaker

In 1904, Needham was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Fremantle, serving until 1905. In 1906, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator for Western Australia. He was the only one of Western Australia's six Labor senators to remain loyal to the party after the 1916 split over conscription, and he lost his seat in 1919 as a result. Re-elected in 1922, his second Senate term lasted until his defeat in 1928, taking effect in 1929. In 1933, he returned to the Legislative Assembly as the member for Perth, shifting to North Perth in 1950. He left the Assembly in 1953. Needham died in 1956. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of the 1907–1910 Senate.