Arthur Rae

Arthur Edward George Rae (14 March 1860 – 25 November 1943) was a New Zealand-born Australian trade unionist and politician. He was an influential figure in the early history of the labour movement and Australian Labor Party (ALP), including as a member of the colonial New South Wales Legislative Assembly (1891–1894) and as a Senator for New South Wales (1910–1914, 1929–1935).

Rae was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and was educated at Blenheim. He worked as a labourer and shearer after leaving school, joining the Amalgamated Shearers' Union of Australasia. After moving to Australia in 1889 he became a union organiser in the Riverina and was briefly imprisoned for his activities. He was elected to parliament at the 1891 New South Wales general election as one of the first Labor MPs, attracting attention for his socialist views. Defeated after a single term, Rae subsequently helped establish the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) and the labour newspaper The Australian Worker. He served terms as president and general secretary of the AWU and was a long-serving member of the ALP state executive.

Rae was elected to the Senate at the 1910 federal election as one of the first three ALP senators in New South Wales. He was defeated in 1914 but continued to play a major role in the ALP as a leader of its anti-conscription faction during the 1916 party split. Rae allied himself with the One Big Union and helped establish the Industrial Socialist Labor Party in 1919, leaving the AWU and ALP. He later became associated with Jack Lang and was readmitted to the ALP in 1927. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1929 and sat as a Lang Labor senator after the 1931 party split, losing his seat again at the 1934 election.