Anthony St Ledger

Anthony James Joseph St Ledger (18 February 1859 – 17 April 1929) was an Australian politician, barrister and educational reformer. He was a senator for Queensland from 1907 to 1913, representing the Anti-Socialist Party and Liberal Party. He was the founding secretary of the Queensland Teachers' Union.

Early life St Ledger was born on 18 February 1859 in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England. He was the son of Martha (née Waddington) and Michael St Ledger. His father, from an Irish Catholic family, was employed as a sawyer at the time of his birth.

St Ledger and his family arrived in the colony of Queensland in 1861. He attended St Mary's Boys' School, Ipswich, and St Kilian's College, South Brisbane. In 1874, aged 15, St Ledger joined the Queensland Education Department as a pupil-teacher. He taught at Catholic schools from 1875 to 1879 before returning to the state school system. In 1885, St Ledger joined the Brisbane Central Boys' School as assistant headmaster to Bully Kerr. In the same year he began reading law under Frederick Swanwick. He resigned from the Education Department in 1889 to practise law and was called to the bar in 1891.

Politics

St Ledger was elected to the Senate at the 1906 federal election, winning a six-year term commencing on 1 January 1907 (later extended by six months pursuant to a constitutional amendment). He was elected on a ticket as one of three candidates endorsed by the Queensland Central Anti-Socialistic Council, alongside Thomas Chataway Robert Sayers. He joined the Anti-Socialist Party in parliament.

St Ledger died on 17 April 1929 at his home in Armadale, Victoria.