Background
Donovan was born at Brisbane, Queensland to Timothy James Donovan and his wife Maria Grace (née White) and educated at Brisbane Normal School.
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Timothy Donovan
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Career
His involvement with The Worker newspaper began when he was a boy and he ended up becoming its manager. When the Labour Party starting forming governments in Queensland, it found much of its legislation being blocked by a hostile Council, where members had been appointed for life by successive conservative governments. After a failed referendum in May 1917, Premier Ryan tried a new tactic, and later that year advised the Governor, Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, to appoint thirteen new members whose allegiance lay with Labour to the Council.
The Council, however, continued to reject the government"s money bills and in 1918 Ryan advised Goold-Adams to appoint additional Labour members, but this time he refused the request.
In 1920, the new Premier Ted Theodore appointed a further 14 new members to the Council with Donovan among the appointees. He served for two years until the Council was abolished in March 1922.
Donovan"s political career ended in 1924 as an alderman with the Brisbane City Council. He then moved to Sydney in 1926 to take up an appointment as manager of The Australian Worker newspaper, holding the position until ill health forced his retirement from the job several months before his death.
