Alex Finlay
Born 1887 · Age 139
Australian politician and trade-union leader; carriage painter by trade, served in the AIF in WWI, long-serving union official in South Australia and Australian Labor Party Senator (elected 1943), served as General Secretary of the coachmakers/Vehicle Builders' Employees' Federation (SA) 1934–1944.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Alex Finlay and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria
Birth of Alexander Finlay in the South Yarra neighbourhood of Melbourne.
Family moved to Adelaide, South Australia (as a child)
Finlay moved with his family from Melbourne to Adelaide sometime in childhood (exact year not given; estimated early 1890s).
Left school at age 12
Attended school in Adelaide until age twelve, then left formal schooling.
Became a carriage painter (like his father)
Began working as a carriage painter following his father’s trade after leaving school.
Established working as a carriage painter
By late adolescence/early adulthood he was established in his trade (carriage painting/coachmaking).
Married and began family
Married at age 22; the biography notes he had three children (dates not specified).
Father of three children (family established)
By the mid-1910s Finlay had three children (exact birth years not provided; aggregated here).
Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF)
Enlisted to serve in World War I; mobilised with the AIF in 1918.
Served in France (AIF service)
Deployed to and served in France during World War I.
Served in Great Britain (AIF service)
Also served in Great Britain during his AIF service (1918–1919).
Discharged from AIF and returned to Bowden, Adelaide
Discharged in 1919 and returned to civilian life in the suburb of Bowden, Adelaide.
Joined Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia
Became active in veterans' organisation after returning from service.
Began holding offices in the Australian Natives' Association
In the 1920s Finlay held several offices in the Australian Natives' Association (ANA); this marks the start of that period of organisational leadership.
Held offices in coachmakers' union (coachmakers/vehicle builders)
During the 1920s–30s he held several union offices in the coachmakers' union (later Vehicle Builders' Employees' Federation).
Elected president of the coachmakers' union (approx.)
At some point in the late 1920s/early 1930s Finlay became president of the coachmakers' union; exact year not specified (estimate).
Appointed General Secretary, SA branch of coachmakers' union
Became general secretary of the South Australian branch (coachmakers/Vehicle Builders' Employees' Federation) in 1934.
Negotiated strike‑free agreements with General Motors‑Holden
As SA general secretary he negotiated strike‑free agreements with the automobile manufacturer General Motors‑Holden during his tenure.
Attempted Labor Party Senate preselection (unsuccessful)
Sought preselection as a Labor Senate candidate in 1937 but was not preselected.
Attempted Labor Party Senate preselection again (unsuccessful)
Made another attempt at preselection for the Senate in 1939 but again was unsuccessful.
Chosen for Labor Senate ticket (1940) but lost election
Selected for the Labor Senate ticket in 1940 but did not win a seat in that election.
Elected to the Australian Senate (Labor ticket)
Shared the 1943 Labor Senate ticket with Sid O'Flaherty and Theo Nicholls; all three were elected to the Senate.
Concluded General Secretary role (end of 1934–1944 tenure)
Ended his decade-long service as general secretary of the SA branch in 1944 (concurrent with entering federal office).
Took seat and began service as Senator
Following the 1943 election, he began serving as an Australian Labor Party Senator (term began mid-1940s).
Retired from the Australian Senate
Retired from his Senate seat in 1953 after nearly a decade in federal parliament.
Died in Brighton, Adelaide
Alexander Finlay passed away on 2 March 1963 in the Brighton beachfront suburb of Adelaide.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Alex Finlay and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
James McKinsey
Born 1889 · Age 137
American accountant, professor of accounting at the University of Chicago, management consultant and founder of McKinsey & Company. Prominent early proponent of budgeting and systematic managerial analysis.
Charlie Chaplin
Born 1889 · Age 137
English comic actor, filmmaker, composer and global film icon best known for his Tramp persona; career spanned 1899–1975. Co‑founder of United Artists and a major creative force in silent and early sound cinema.
Dale Carnegie
Born 1888 · Age 138
American writer, lecturer, and pioneer of public speaking and self-improvement; author of How to Win Friends and Influence People and founder of the Dale Carnegie training organization.
Edwin Booz
Born 1887 · Age 139
American management consultant and co-founder of the consulting firm that became Booz Allen Hamilton.
Georgia Totto O'Keeffe
Born 1887 · Age 139
American modernist painter and draftswoman known for large-scale flower paintings, New York skyscraper views, and New Mexico landscapes; career spanned seven decades.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Born 1884 · Age 142
American political figure, diplomat, activist; longest-serving U.S. First Lady (1933–1945); chair of UN Commission on Human Rights and key drafter/champion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.