About James McGowen
James Sinclair Taylor McGowen (16 August 1855 – 7 April 1922) was an Australian politician. He served as premier of New South Wales from 1910 to 1913, the first member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to hold the position, and was a key figure in the party's early history in New South Wales. McGowen was born at sea to English immigrants. He was a boilermaker by profession and soon became involved in the labour movement, becoming president of the Sydney Trades Hall in 1888. McGowen was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 1891 general election under the auspices of the Labor Electoral League. He succeeded as party leader in 1894 and retained the position following Federation in 1901. He became leader of the opposition after the 1904 election and led the ALP to majority government in 1910. As premier, McGowen oversaw progressive reforms. He was succeeded by his deputy William Holman in 1913 and expelled from the ALP following the 1916 split over conscription. He finished his career as a Nationalist appointee to the New South Wales Legislative Council.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.