Background
Foley was born in Charters Towers to Andrew Foley and his wife Margaret (née McKeegan).
Foley was born in Charters Towers to Andrew Foley and his wife Margaret (née McKeegan).
He was educated at Charters Towers State School and later studied at night school.
After he left school Foley held various jobs before becoming a contractor, supplying timber sleepers to the railways. By 1919 he had become an organiser for the Australian Workers" Union. Foley entered state politics in 1919.
During the next 41 years he held the seats of Leichhardt from 1919 till 1932, Normanby from 1932 till 1950, and Belyando from 1950 till 1960.
He stood for the seat of Barcoo at the 1960 election but was defeated. During his time in parliament he held the roles of Secretary for Mines, Health and Home Affairs, Public Lands and Irrigation, and Labour and Industry.
Foley also held the role as Government Whip from 1932 till 1936. His time in politics was highlighted by several controversies.
In 1946, Foley was charged after illicit tobacco was found in his garage.
The magistrate dismissed the charge however two other men, one of them being Foley"s brother-in-law, were found guilty of possession of the contraband. After this affair Foley was given the nickname "Fine Cut" Foley. In that same year, he was involved in a fist fight with Frank Barnes in the member"s dining room.
Foley apologised to parliament for his actions but Barnes refused to do so and was suspended from the house.
As Secretary for Public Lands he introduced legislation for closer-land and war-service settlement. Allegations of bad administration as well as corruption soon appeared in The Worker as well as the Australian Senate the next year forced the government to set up a Royal Commission into the affair.
Foley resigned his portfolio in 1956. The government took him to court over the affair but he was found not guilty.
The Chairman of the Land Administration Board, Vivian Creighton, who had given evidence against Foley, was summoned to appear before the bar of the parliament to explain his actions and was later sacked by the cabinet and Foley himself was expelled from the Labor Party in October 1956.
lieutenant was suggested that she had heard of his resignation on the radio and the shock of this news caused her to suffer a stroke. After the 1957 Labor split, Foley was accepted into the newly formed Queensland Labor Party. He managed to hold his seat at that year"s state elections but the electorate was abolished before the 1960 election and, standing for Barcoo, was defeated.