John Arthur Fihelly | |||||||||||||||||
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| 25th Treasurer of Queensland | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 9 March 1920 – 8 February 1922 | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ted Theodore | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ted Theodore | ||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Paddington | ||||||||||||||||
| Member of theQueensland Legislative Assembly forPaddington | |||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 April 1912 – 7 February 1922 | |||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | New seat | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Alfred Jones | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1882-11-07)7 November 1882 Timoleague,County Cork, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 March 1945(1945-03-02) (aged 62) Brisbane,Queensland | ||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | Toowong Cemetery | ||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labor Party | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Marguerite Agnes Murphy | ||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Peter Murphy (father-in-law) | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Agent-General,Journalist,Public servant,Rugby league Administrator | ||||||||||||||||
Rugby player | |||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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John Arthur Fihelly (7 November 1882 – 2 March 1945) was a public servant, politician andrugby union player in Queensland, Australia. He was theTreasurer of Queensland. He represented Australia as a professionalrugby league footballer and a founder of theQueensland Rugby League.[1]
Fihelly was born inTimoleague,County Cork, Ireland. The family emigrated to Australia the following year. He was educated at the Petrie Terrace State School andSt Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, until 1895. He then joined the post office as a telegraph messenger. He eventually transferred to the Department of Trade and Customs.[1]
Fihelly was a rugby unionflanker.[2] and claimed one international rugby union cap for Australia, in 1907.[2] He then became one ofrugby league football's founding players in Brisbane, being selected to represent Queensland during the1907–08 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain against the visiting "All Blacks" in what were the first games of rugby league football ever played in Queensland. In 1908 he traveled to Britain on the first rugby leagueKangaroo tour as assistant manager.[1]Fihelly represented Queensland in rugby union 1905–07 againstNew South Wales.[1]
Fihelly got his start in 1908 when he joined theDepartment of Trade and Customs as a junior clerk in its State office. In 1918 Fihelly was made secretary of railways.
He was elected as theLabor member forPaddington in theLegislative Assembly of Queensland in 1912[3] and held several ministerial roles includingAttorney-General andTreasurer until his resignation in 1922.[3]
Fihelly died of acerebral thrombosis on 2 March 1945. He deteriorated for years after fracturing his skull in September 1926 in an accident atSandgate. Before dying, Fihelly spent time in the Dunwich Benevolent Institution.[1]
Upon his death in 1945, Fihelly was rewarded with aState funeral[1] atSt Stephen's Cathedral[4] and was buried inToowong Cemetery.[4][5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Treasurer of Queensland 1920–1922 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Queensland | ||
| New seat | Member forPaddington 1912–1922 | Succeeded by |
