Jack Lang (1876-1975) was an Australian politician and premier of New South Wales. His career was among the stormiest in Australian political history, and his defiance of Labor prime minister James Henry Scullin contributed to the latter's defeat in 1931 and the decline of the Labor party in Australia.

John Thomas Lang, known as Jack, was born in Sydney, Australia, on December 21, 1876. In 1913 he entered the lower house of the New South Wales Parliament as a Labor member. He was soon secretary and whip of the state parliamentary Labor party, served as its treasurer in 1920-1922, and became its leader in opposition in 1923. The party won state elections in 1925 and held office with Lang as premier and treasurer until it went into opposition again in 1927.

Political Maneuvering

During this period, Lang concentrated on extending social services and introducing legislation favored by the trade unions, notably for compulsory unionism. He...