He was a goldminer, shopkeeper, and organizer for the Australian Workers’ Union before becoming a Labor Member of the House of Representatives (1910–13). He was re-elected in 1922, led the Opposition (1928–29), and in 1929 became Prime Minister. In the Depression he faced deepening divisions within his own party, and deflationary measures brought electoral defeat. From 1932 he led the Opposition until his resignation as leader of the Labor Party in 1935.