Crawford Vaughan
A South Australian Labor Premier whose brief, tumultuous term was consumed by the fierce political battles over conscription during World War I.
1874–1947 (age 73)·Australian politician·Birthday: July 14·The Gilded Age
Biography
Crawford Vaughan’s premiership was forged in fire and cut short by division. A lawyer from Adelaide, he rose through the United Labor Party ranks, becoming Treasurer and then party leader. His 1915 election victory made him Premier, but his tenure was almost immediately dominated by the national crisis over compulsory military service. Vaughan was a staunch supporter of conscription, placing him at odds with a significant, passionate segment of his own party and the broader labor movement. The two conscription referendums of 1916 and 1917 bitterly split Australia. Although he won a court case challenging his right to remain in parliament after taking a government contract, the political damage was fatal. He resigned the premiership in 1917 and, after losing his seat the following year, left political life entirely, his career a casualty of one of Australia’s most profound domestic wartime conflicts.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Crawford was born in 1874, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Crawford Was Born
The biggest hits of 1874
Crawford's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1874Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Became a teenager
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Could drive
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Could vote
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Turned 21
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Turned 30
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 40
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 50
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 60
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 70
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Died at 73
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
Key Achievements
- Served as the 27th Premier of South Australia from 1915 to 1917.
- Led the South Australian United Labor Party to victory in the 1915 state election.
- Previously held the role of Treasurer of South Australia in the Verran government.
Did You Know?
He was the first South Australian Premier born in the colony of South Australia itself.
His father was a wealthy merchant and philanthropist, providing a privileged background unusual for a Labor leader of the era.
After politics, he returned to his legal practice and became a prominent company director.
“Conscription will break this party and this nation if we let it.”
