Richard Sleath

Richard Sleath was an Australian politician.
Born in Ceres, Fife to ploughman Richard Sleath and Mary Fernie, he migrated to Queensland in 1877, becoming a shearer and prospector. In 1882 he moved to Sydney, working as a contractor before mining at Broken Hill from 1887. On 11 March 1887, he married Jane Dawson with whom he had four sons. He helped found the first Socialist League at Broken Hill and was a member of the central executive of the Labor Party (New [South Wales">Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)">Labor Party (New [South Wales Branch)|Labor Party] in 1898. In 1894 he was elected to the New [South Wales Legislative Assembly] as the Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|Labor] member for Wilcannia. He lost his Labour endorsement in 1901 but was re-elected as an Independent Labor candidate, losing his seat in 1904. In 1917 Sleath, a supporter of conscription, joined the Nationalist Party. He died in Sydney in 1922.