Reginald Burchell

Who was Reginald Burchell?

Reginald John Burchell was an Australian politician. Born in Port Pirie, South Australia, he received a primary education before moving to Western Australia in 1897, where he became a railwayman and railway unionist. In 1913, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Fremantle, defeating the sitting Liberal member, William Hedges. In 1916, he joined Prime Minister Billy Hughes in leaving the Labor Party over the issue of conscription, joining Hughes' new National Labor Party. In 1917, the National Labor Party merged with the Liberal Party to form the Nationalist Party. Burchell retained his seat as a Nationalist in 1917 with a very large 25.2% swing. He retired in 1922, becoming a company manager and administrative officer in Melbourne. Burchell died in 1955.