Education
James was born in Scotland in 1873, and after arriving with his parents in South Australia in 1879 attended Lefevre Peninsula, Portuguese Adelaide and Woodville Public Schools.
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James Jelley
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Career
1 (1915-1933). He served as Chief Secretary in three Labor governments: John Gunn (1924-1926) and Lionel Hill (1926-1927 and 1930). He was also Minister for Railways under Gunn (1924-1925), and Minister of Marine (1930), Minister of Local Government, Minister of Immigration, Minister of Repatriation and Minister of Immigration under Hill (1930-1933). He was the younger brother of Labor MLC David Jelley.
James were one of four children of John Jelley (ca1847 – 6 June 1912), boring inspector, and Mistress
Elizabeth Stevenson Jelley (ca1849 – 31 March 1929) who migrated to South Australia from Scotland around 1879, living initially in Wallaroo, then Portuguese Adelaide, finally settling around 1884 at Stanley Street, Woodville. He served an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker and joined Société Anonyme branch of the Furniture Trade Society of Australasia.
James was elected to the Woodville Council in 1909 and served until 1911. He was selected to contest the Australian House of Representatives seat of Boothby in 1911 but was unsuccessful.
He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1912 on one of the Central district seats, and held the seat for 21 years.
He served on the Cabinets of two Labor administrations: as Minister for Railways (1924–1925) and Chief Secretary (1924–1926) during the Gunn ministry, then Chief Secretary (1926–1930) and Minister of Local Government, Immigration, Repatriation and Irrigation (1930–1933) in the second Hill ministry. He resigned from Cabinet in 1933 in protest at the appointment of the Premier, Lionel Hill, as Agent-General in London. He retired from parliament in 1933, and the same year was appointed chairman of the Betting Control Board, holding the post until 1939.
He was buried privately, his family having refused the Government"s offer of a State funeral.
Eldest son Hugh Jelley ( – 21 March 1920)
He died after only attending one session of Parliament. See main article
James Jelley (18 October 1873 – 4 March 1954) married Alice Maud Whitwell (died 3 March 1967) on 11 February 1902, lived at 35 Park Terrace, Eastwood.
Jeannie Jelley (ca1877 – 27 January 1917) born at Patna, Scotland, married Mark East. H. Ridgway on 21 April 1903.
Achievements
Politics
Politics
He had joined the Labor Party at the age of 19, and was to become president of the Eight Hours Union and president of the Woodville branch of the party.
Membership
He was a Labor member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1912 to 1933, representing Central District (1912-1915) and Central District Number. He was one of the members of the Hill cabinet expelled in the 1931 Labor split, continuing in minority government as part of the splinter Parliamentary Labor Party, but retired in protest in 1933 following Hill"s decision to appoint himself Agent-General in London. He continued as a member of the BCB until December 1953, when failing health forced his resignation.
