Matthew Reid (politician)

Matthew Reid (30 September 1856 – 28 August 1947) was a Scottish-born Australian politician.

Born in Ayrshire, he worked in London as a carpenter before migrating to Australia in 1887. He was active in the Carpenters' Union and was an organiser of the Australian Labour Federation from 1890. In 1893, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the Labor member for Toowong. Defeated in 1896, he was elected as the member for Enoggera in 1899, serving until 1902. He served as President of the Queensland Labor Party in 1905, but left the party in 1909 to join the new Liberal Party.

In 1917, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Nationalist Senator for Queensland. He remained a Senator until his retirement in 1934, by which time he was a member of the United Australia Party, successor to the Nationalist Party.

Reid died in 1947, aged 90.

Personal life

Reid was a prominent Theosophist. He joined the Theosophical Society in 1908 and remained a member for the rest of his life, leaving a bequest to the society's Brisbane branch. He gave public lectures on Theosophy and was influenced by Annie Besant, teaching a class on her Study in Consciousness and helping facilitate her entry into Australia in 1922.

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