Alfred Ozanne

Alfred Thomas Montgomery Madden Ozanne (1877 – 27 May 1961) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1910 to 1913 and 1914 to 1917, both times for the seat of Corio.

Alfred Ozanne
Member of the Australian Parliament for Corio
In office 13 April 1910 – 31 May 1913
Preceded by	Richard Crouch
Succeeded by	William Kendell
In office 5 September 1914 – 5 May 1917
Preceded by	William Kendell
Succeeded by	John Lister
Personal details
Born	1877 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	27 May 1961(1961-05-27) (aged 83–84) Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouse(s)	Edith Stewart (nee Moody)
Children	George, Myra, Alan, Alfred
Residence	22 Halifax Street, Brighton, Melbourne
Occupation	Accountant

Early life

Born in Melbourne, he was the son of Marcel Charles Ozanne, a Frenchman, and his wife Emilia Josephine Reinhardt. He had one brother and three sisters. Ozanne married Edith Stewart Moody in 1900 and they had four children, all born at Werribee. He had been an accountant and municipal officer before entering politics, and was the bookkeeper for the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works' Werribee Sewage Farm at the time of his election.[1][2]

Politics

Ozanne was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1910 federal election, defeating Liberal Richard Crouch.[3] He lost his seat to Liberal William Kendell at the 1913 election, and while again out of parliament served as secretary of Labor's Corio campaign council.[4][5] He returned to parliament at the 1914 election, defeating Kendell.[6]

Controversy, defeat and aftermath

He volunteered for service in World War I in January 1916 while an MP; attended officer training at Tidworth, was promoted to lieutenant and was briefly attached to the Australian military offices in London before returning to camp at Larkhill. He was declared "unfit for further service" in January 1917 and was invalided home after visiting the front as a civilian in his capacity as an MP. However, in April, he was reported to have been absent without leave when his unit departed from the front in November 1916, and both media and his political opponents suggested that he had been "protected by headquarters", that would have been court-martialled had he not been discharged, and that he had pretended to have been on service in his letters during his visit to the front.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

He was defeated re-contesting his seat at the 1917 election, after the opposition refused to allow him to run uncontested due to the controversy over his war service; Ozanne attributed his defeat to the reporting of the affair. He sued the Geelong Advertiser for libel in 1920, but lost when it was held their coverage had been "substantially true".[11][13]

Later life

Ozanne was declared insolvent in 1923, in part due to the legal costs from the libel case. At that time, he was working as a clerk and residing in the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park.[14][15] He had moved to Brighton by 1935.[16]

Ozanne suffered serious injuries in a fall at the Middle Park railway station on 31 December 1959.[17] He died at Brighton, Melbourne on 27 May 1961 and was cremated at Springvale Cemetery. He was the last surviving MP who served during Andrew Fisher's second tenure as prime minister.[1]

References

1. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
2. "Attempt to Block Labor Candidate". The Worker. 18 (45). New South Wales. 11 November 1909. p. 9. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
3. "Federal Elections. Corio". Geelong Advertiser (19, 666). Victoria. 22 April 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Official Result for Corio". The Bacchus Marsh Express (2439). Victoria. 28 June 1913. p. 4. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "CORIO LIBERALS READY". Geelong Advertiser (20, 938). Victoria. 6 June 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "CORIO ELECTION RETURNS". Geelong Advertiser (21, 024). Victoria. 15 September 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "MR. A. T. OZANNE, M.H.R." The Barrier Miner. XXVIII (8563). New South Wales. 29 January 1916. p. 6. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "THE EMPIRE'S CALL". The Bacchus Marsh Express (2, 617). Victoria. 16 December 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "AUSTRALIA NEEDING MEN". Weekly Times (2, 474). Victoria. 6 January 1917. p. 43. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "MR OZANNE, M.H.R., RETURNING". The Ballarat Star (18, 899). Victoria. 8 January 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "SGT. OZANNE 'ABSENT.' WOULD HAVE BEENCOURTMARTIALLED IF HIS C.O,'S ORDERS HAD BEEN OBEYED". Geelong Advertiser (21, 826). Victoria. 19 April 1917. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "THE Geelong Advertiser". Geelong Advertiser (21, 828). Victoria. 21 April 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "LIBEL ACTION". Zeehan And Dundas Herald. XXXI (238). Tasmania. 22 July 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
14. "AFFAIRS OF A. T. OZANNE". The Australasian. CXIV (2, 986). Victoria. 23 June 1923. p. 28. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
15. "COSTS IN LIBEL ACTION". The Argus (23, 968). Melbourne. 1 June 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
16. "Family Notices". Table Talk (3503). Victoria. 27 June 1935. p. 37. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
17. "Former Labour M.P. Injured". The Canberra Times. 34 (9, 486). 31 December 1959. p. 2. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Richard Crouch	Member for Corio 1910–1913	Succeeded by William Kendell
Preceded by William Kendell	Member for Corio 1914–1917	Succeeded by John Lister