OBITUARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3517, 9 August 1921, Page 19

OBITUARY.

MR T. J. RYAN. , BRISBANE. August 1. i he death is announced of Mr T. J. Ryan, ex Premier of Queensland and Deputy Reader of the Federal Opposition. liis death was due to a sudden attack of pneumonia while assisting in the Alaranoa byclect ion cam pa ign. Widespread regret is expressed by all the political parties in ail the States at Mr Ryan’s death._ He is referred to as the strong man of the Labour Party. He will be given a State funeral at Brisbane. Mr T. J. Ryan was in the middle of a strenuous by-election campaign. Just before his final seizure he delivered a speech which lasted for an hour. His voice was husky, but otherwise he was apparently in good health. August 4. The route of the State funeral was lined with scores of thousands of people. It was probably the largest funeral witnessed in Brisbane. Requiem mass was celebrated in t-ho Cathedral, Archbishops Duhig and Mannix officiating. The State Premiers and Ministers acted as pall bearers. LOX ]J O N, Auguot 1. When the news of Mr Ryan’s death was communicated to him, Mr Hughes was greatly distressed. He said that- it came as a positive shock that a man in the prime of life should be so unexpectedly cut off. Though he disagreed with Mr Ryan in politics, he liked him. as a man. His death would leave a gap in the public life of Australia which would not readily bo filled. [Air T. J. Ryan was born in Victoria in 1876 and graduated at Melbourne University, gaining the B.A. and LL.B. degrees. lie was elected a member of the Queensland Parliament in 1999 and became leader of the Labour Party in 1913. ~ In 1915 the parly won the majority of seats at the general election, and Mr Ryan became Premier, Chief Secretary, and Attor-ney-General. During his term of office, which lasted until 1919, he successfully con? ducted appeals before t-ho I’rivy Council in defence of some of the Acts passed bv the Government. Tn 1919 ho resigned the Premiership of Queensland and entered the Federal House of Representatives as member for West Sydney. He was elected to the position of Deputy Leader of the Labour Puny. Ho was for many years a promin-

ent and aggressive figure in the public life pf Australia and recently was unsuccessful in a libel action against a Hobart newspaper. A largo public subscription was however, raised to defray his costs and to prosecute an appeal.]