Ernest Roberts (Australian politician)

Ernest Roberts (Australian politician).
Ernest Roberts (21 February 1868 – 2 December 1913) was a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly, and then the Australian House of Representatives. Roberts emigrated to Australia from the UK and worked in Port Pirie, South Australia, where he was a member of its town council. In 1896, aged 28, he became the youngest person elected to the House of Assembly and quickly gained a reputation for his oratory. He served in South Africa twice during the Second Boer War, rising to the rank of captain. During his second period of service his term in the South Australian parliament expired. After returning home, he was the editor of a political newspaper before being elected to the House of Assembly again in 1905. He was elected to the federal House of Representatives in a by-election in 1908 and was appointed as an honorary minister in 1911. After a fiery parliamentary debate on 2 December 1913, Roberts collapsed and died, aged 45. His state funeral was attended by around 6,000 people.