William Morris (Billy) Hughes was born in Pimlico, London on 25 September 1862. The son of a Welsh carpenter, he was educated at Llandudno Grammar School and later, as a pupil teacher, at St Stephen's School, Westminster. In 1884 Hughes emigrated to Australia and was employed, at various times, as a stone breaker in a railway gang, a boundary rider, drover, seaman and cook (and pantryman) on coastal vessels.

Hughes later had a small shop in Balmain (Sydney) where he mended locks and umbrellas and sold books. His first foray into politics was as a street-corner speaker for the Balmain Single Tax League. He became an active labour organiser and was Secretary of the Sydney Wharf Labourers Union (1899-1916) and formed the Waterside Workers Federation, of which he remained a member and President until expelled (1902-16). He also studied and was admitted to the Bar in 1903 and was made a King's Counsel (KC) in 1919.

In 1894, Hughes was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as Member for Lang. He was subsequently elected to the House of Representatives at the first federal election as Member for West Sydney (1901-17), representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). 

Early in his Commonwealth Parliamentary career, Hughes was given his first portfolio as Minister for External Affairs and was ranked second in the first Labor government to hold office (Watson Ministry, 1904). The following year he was Secretary of the Australian National Defence League and, in 1907, was one of two Australian representatives appointed by Deakin to attend the Shipping Conference in London. In the three Fisher Ministries, Hughes was Attorney General (1908-09, 1910-13 and 1914-15). The latter period was particularly significant as he had a key role in matters relating to munitions, shipping and the regulation of industry following the outbreak of World War I. On succeeding Fisher as Prime Minister, he retained the portfolio (1915-21), was also Minister for Trade and Customs for a short time (1916) and, later, Minister for External Affairs again (1921-23). 

One of Australia's most controversial Prime Ministers, Hughes was an effective national leader in wartime. In 1916, he visited New Zealand, Canada (where he was made a member of the Privy Council), England and France, an important preliminary to his later role at the 1919 Peace Conference. On returning to Australia, however, Hughes faced strong opposition over conscription. His first referendum on the issue was lost (October 1916), several of his Cabinet resigned in protest against his advocacy, and Hughes himself was subsequently expelled from the ALP and the Waterside Workers Federation.

Hughes established a National Labor Party and, supported by the Liberal Opposition, was commissioned to form a new Ministry. A few months later, in January 1917, the two groups joined to become the Nationalist Party and were confirmed in government at the election in May that year. At this election, however, Hughes took the Victorian seat of Bendigo (1917-22). Following the defeat of his second conscription referendum in December 1917 Hughes resigned. However, when F G Tudor was unable to form a Labor government, a fourth Hughes Ministry was established and remained in office until February 1923.

In 1918, Hughes attended the Imperial Conference in London and the Peace Conference in Versailles, where he took a strong line on the matter of reparations, strengthened his suspicions of Japan and was responsible for achieving Australia's mandate over German New Guinea. In 1921, he visited London again for the Imperial Conference although, at home, his power base was less secure. At the general election in December 1922, Hughes was elected to the seat of North Sydney (and retained it until December 1949). This time, however, the Country Party held the balance of power and on 9 February 1923 Hughes resigned as Prime Minister in favour of Stanley Melbourne Bruce.

In the ensuing years, Hughes became an increasingly outspoken critic of both the Bruce-Page and Scullin governments. In 1929, he was expelled from the Nationalist Party when he sided with Labor against a Bill designed to return responsibility for conciliation and arbitration to the states. This action brought the downfall of Bruce. Hughes unsuccessfully attempted to form an Australia Party and later joined the United Australia Party (UAP) under J A Lyons.

During the Lyons Government, Hughes was a member of the Australian delegation to the 13th Assembly of the League of Nations (1932), Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council (1934-35 and 1937-38) and held the portfolios of Health and Repatriation (1934-37), apart from a short period in late 1935 when he was asked to resign on the publication of his book 'Australia and war today' which contradicted party policy. He was re-instated three months later and subsequently became Minister in Charge of Territories (1937-38) and Minister for External Affairs for a third time (1937-39).

In the wartime Menzies Government, Hughes was Minister for Industry (1939-40), Attorney General and a member of War Cabinet (1939-41) and Minister for the Navy (1940-41). He was made a Companion of Honour (CH) in 1941. During the Curtin Government he was Deputy Leader of the Opposition (1941-43) and continued as a member of the Advisory War Council (1940-45). In July 1944, Hughes completed 50 years' continuous parliamentary service. The next year he accepted an invitation to join the Liberal Party, the successor to the UAP. He transferred to the new Sydney electorate of Bradfield at the December 1949 election, the seat he still held at the time of his death.

Billy Hughes died at his home in Lindfield, Sydney in October 1952 at the age of 90. He married twice. His first wife, Elizabeth Cutts, died in 1906. He was survived by his second wife, Mary Ethel Campbell (CP 943, Dame Mary Hughes), whom he had married in 1911.

This person registration was revised as part of the Prime Ministers Papers Project (July 2004).

Publications include

weekly column, Daily Telegraph (Oct 1907-Oct 1911)
The day - and after (1916)
The splendid adventure: A review of empire relations within and without the Commonwealth of Britannic nations (1929)
Australia and war today : the price of peace (1935)
Crusts and crusades: tales of bygone days (1947)
Politicians and potentates (1950)

Sources

Australian Dictionary of Biography (Melbourne University Press, 1983), Vol 9, 1891-1939, pp 393-400
Beasley, Margo, Wharfies (Halstead Press, 1996), pp 21-43
Commonwealth Parliamentary Handbook 1901-1920, p 162; 1931-1935, pp 92-93; 1945-1953, pp 164-165
Federal Guide 1918, pp 14, 46; 1921, pp 19, 27, 30                     

Unregistered agencies associated with person

Jul 1894 – Jun 1901: New South Wales, Legislative Assembly – Member for Lang

1899 - 1916: Sydney Wharf Labourers Union – Secretary

Feb 1902 –Nov 1916: Waterside Workers Federation – President