Labour Australia

Arthur Greenup, n.d.

Arthur Edward Greenup (1902-1980) shop assistant, trade union official, alderman, mayor and politician

Birth: 11 July 1902 at Sydney, New South Wales, son of native-born parents Sydney Ernest Greenup (1880-1918), stonemason and railwayman, and Margaret, née Tyler. Unmarried. Death: 3 August 1980 in hospital at Camperdown, Sydney; usual residence Five Dock. Religion: Catholic. 

• Educated at Newtown Public School. Started work at 14 years of age as a shop assistant; later became department head.
• Joined Shop Assistants' Union in 1926 while working at Grace Bros. Was union’s delegate to Trades and Labor Council from 1933 and president 1942 and from 1967 to 1972. President and organiser 1946-50. Industrial officer 1956-72.
• NSW president of Shop Assistants and Warehouse Employees' Federation (SAU) in 1972 at least. Vice-president of the Shop Assistants' Division of Australian Workers' Union from 1973 to 1977. Life member SDA.
• Joined Australian Labor Party’s Newtown branch in 1929. President, Newtown East branch, for thirteen years. Held many branch and district positions including campaign director for J. A. Beasley in West Sydney. In 1936 Greenup was a credentialled Labor nominee for the first election of the Legislative Council of NSW after its reformation in 1934.
• He was an alderman on Newtown municipal council from 1938 to 1948, mayor 1941-42. Alderman on Sydney City Council from 1948 to 1950. After a dispute with the local Air Raid Precaution wardens, Greenup was appointed chief warden for Newtown National Emergency Service in 1942.
• Contested seat of Newtown in the Legislative Assembly (NSW) in 1947. Won the seat of Newtown-Annandale on 17 June 1950, defeating Lilian Fowler. On 14 January 1953 the seat was abolished.
• Elected member of the Federal House of Representatives for Dalley in a by-election on 9 May 1953, succeeding Sol Rosevear. Retired 4 November 1955.
• Active in Friendly Society Movement; in 1936, previously grand inspector of workings and deputy grand master, was elected grand master of the National Independent Order of Oddfellows.
• Life member ALP NSW branch in 1979, nominated by Five Dock branch.
• Cause of death: pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, ischaemic heart disease, anaemia (macrocytic) malignancy, hypertension, urinary retention.

Sources
Heather Radi, Peter Spearritt & Elizabeth Hinton (eds), Biographical Register of the NSW Parliament 1901-1970 (Canberra, 1979); Joan Rydon (ed), A biographical register of the Commonwealth Parliament 1901-1972 (ANU Press, 1975); Shop Assistant, Vol. 20 No. 8 April 1942, p 12, Vol. 22 No. 3 July-Sept 1946 p 6; Voice, June 1972 Winter.