Background
Quirk was born at Balmain in Sydney to dairyman John Quirk and Margaret, née McClapperty.
Quirk was born at Balmain in Sydney to dairyman John Quirk and Margaret, née McClapperty.
After attending Street Joseph"s School in Rozelle, he joined the Postmaster-General"s department in 1886 and began a long-running position at the Balmain post-office. In 1917 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Rozelle. With the introduction of proportional representation he became a member for Balmain from 1920 to 1927, when he returned to Rozelle.
Rozelle was abolished in 1930 and Quirk moved back to the seat of Balmain.