Parliamentary activity
Information about members' parliamentary service including their positions held and biography.
Positions
| Position | Start | End | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Treasurer | Mon 27 November 1911 | Thu 11 April 1912 | 4 months 16 days | |
| Honorary Minister | Fri 10 November 1911 | Sun 26 November 1911 | 17 days | |
| Case of William John Ellis, employed in the Railway Service Committee No.18 | Thu 19 October 1911 | Wed 27 March 1912 | 5 months 9 days | |
| Claims of Harry K.Carpenter Committee No.14 | Tue 10 October 1911 | Wed 22 November 1911 | 1 month 13 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Wed 30 August 1911 | Tue 03 October 1911 | 1 month 4 days | Chairman |
| Claims of Harry K.Carpenter Committee No.16 | Tue 18 July 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 15 days | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.3 | Tue 30 May 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 2 months 3 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Tue 16 May 1911 | Tue 01 August 1911 | 2 months 17 days | |
| The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 | Tue 16 May 1911 | Tue 16 May 1911 | 1 day | |
| Standing Orders Committee No.3 | Wed 30 November 1910 | Fri 23 December 1910 | 24 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Thu 24 November 1910 | Fri 23 December 1910 | 1 month | |
| Canterbury Park Racecourse Company Limited Enabling Bill Committee No.7 | Thu 24 November 1910 | Thu 08 December 1910 | 15 days | |
| Member for Alexandria | Fri 14 October 1910 | Thu 11 April 1912 | 1 year 5 months 29 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Tue 21 June 1910 | Sat 20 August 1910 | 2 months | |
| Lease Conversion and Law Amendment Bill Committee No.7 | Tue 10 August 1909 | Thu 09 December 1909 | 4 months | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Tue 13 July 1909 | Fri 17 December 1909 | 5 months 5 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Thu 23 July 1908 | Sat 19 December 1908 | 4 months 27 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 | Thu 12 March 1908 | Sat 11 April 1908 | 1 month | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 | Tue 22 October 1907 | Fri 15 November 1907 | 25 days | |
| Member for Alexandria | Tue 10 September 1907 | Wed 14 September 1910 | 3 years 5 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.5 | Tue 09 July 1907 | Fri 12 July 1907 | 4 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Thu 04 July 1907 | Fri 12 July 1907 | 9 days | |
| Occupation of Land at la Perouse by the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company Committee No.13 | Thu 22 November 1906 | Thu 13 December 1906 | 22 days | Chairman |
| Claim of Electric Tram-driver Arthur Simpson for improvements fitted to Steam Motors Committee No.8 | Thu 13 September 1906 | Tue 13 November 1906 | 2 months 1 day | |
| Refreshment Committee No.4 | Tue 10 July 1906 | Tue 18 December 1906 | 5 months 9 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.6 | Thu 05 July 1906 | Tue 18 December 1906 | 5 months 14 days | |
| Drummoyne Municipal Lands Sale Bill Committee No.21 | Fri 03 November 1905 | Mon 04 December 1905 | 1 month 2 days | |
| Moss Vale Cattle Sale-yards Bill Committee No.12 | Thu 10 August 1905 | Thu 24 August 1905 | 15 days | |
| Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Bill Committee No.11 | Tue 08 August 1905 | Tue 26 September 1905 | 1 month 19 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.5 | Wed 28 June 1905 | Sat 09 December 1905 | 5 months 12 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Wed 14 June 1905 | Sat 09 December 1905 | 5 months 26 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.5 | Wed 21 September 1904 | Sat 24 December 1904 | 3 months 4 days | |
| Elections and Qualifications Committee No.2 | Wed 24 August 1904 | Thu 01 December 1904 | 3 months 8 days | |
| Member for Alexandria | Sat 06 August 1904 | Mon 19 August 1907 | 3 years 14 days | |
| Alleged Evasion of the Arbitration Act Committee No.13 | Fri 04 September 1903 | Wed 23 September 1903 | 20 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.6 | Wed 01 July 1903 | Tue 01 December 1903 | 5 months 1 day | |
| System of Municipal Government for Greater Sydney Committee No.9 | Fri 20 June 1902 | Sat 20 December 1902 | 6 months 1 day | Chairman |
| Carriage of Newspapers on Government Railways Committee No.10 | Fri 20 June 1902 | Fri 19 December 1902 | 6 months | |
| Refreshment Committee No.5 | Tue 17 June 1902 | Sat 20 December 1902 | 6 months 4 days | |
| Refreshment Committee No.6 | Thu 08 August 1901 | Fri 20 December 1901 | 4 months 13 days | |
| Removal from the Public Service of Mr Frederick Glynn Committee No.3 | Tue 06 August 1901 | Thu 19 December 1901 | 4 months 14 days | |
| Member for Botany | Wed 03 July 1901 | Sat 16 July 1904 | 3 years 14 days | |
| Case of Quartermaster Sergeant Troy Committee No.21 | Thu 06 September 1900 | Thu 29 November 1900 | 2 months 24 days | |
| Case of William Creswell Committee No.18 | Tue 07 November 1899 | Thu 21 December 1899 | 1 month 15 days | |
| Claim of Mr Sherlock Barron, North Botany Committee No.10 | Tue 15 August 1899 | Thu 23 November 1899 | 3 months 9 days | |
| Member for Botany | Wed 27 July 1898 | Tue 11 June 1901 | 2 years 10 months 16 days | |
| Borough of Lithgow Validating Bill Committee No.31 | Wed 07 October 1896 | Wed 21 October 1896 | 15 days | |
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly | Wed 24 July 1895 | Thu 11 April 1912 | 16 years 8 months 19 days | |
| Member for Botany | Wed 24 July 1895 | Fri 08 July 1898 | 2 years 11 months 15 days |
Biography
Political party activity
Australian Labor Party (ALP). Foundation Member; Treasurer of the Parliamentary Party 1901- 1910 and was a member of the central executive 1912
Community activity
Commissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1892. Foundation Secretary of the Wool and Basil Workers' Union 1901 - 1912. Trustee of Cook's Landing Place, Kurnell. Associated with model suburb, Daceyville, Sydney
Local Government activity
Alderman at Alexandria from 1886-1896, Mayor 1888-1889.
Personal information
Son of Thomas Dacey, barrister, and Margaret Dacey. His father died early. He moved to Victoria with his mother in 1858 and settled in Kyneton where she died in 1859. He was adopted by Dr Smith. Married Martha Ellen Douglass on 27 July 1878 in Horsham, Victoria and had issue, 4 sons and 6 daughters. Roman Catholic.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Blacksmith and coachbuilder. Educated in Kyneton and left school at the age of twelve on Smith's Death. After leaving school at age 12 he became a butcher's assistant, and a successful agricultural blacksmith managing branch for May and Miller. Set up his own coachmaking business in Sydney. Helped to found the Wool and Basil Workers Union in 1901 and was its secretary until 1912. Became and honorary Minister and Colonial Treasurer. Died of chronic nephritis and after a state funeral was buried in the catholic section of Botany cemetery. From the 1890's Dacey had campaigned for the building by the government of low cost housing for working class people. The model suburb of Daceyville in South Sydney is a memorial to his sympathetic social insight
Additional information
References Australian Dictionary of Biography, 8; Radi, H., Spearritt, P. and Hinton, E., Biographical Register of the New South Wales Parliament 1901-1970, Canberra 1979; Martin, A. W. and Wardle, P., Member of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales 1856-1901, Canberra 1959.