Maurie Sheehy

{{Infobox person

| name = Maurice Patrick Sheehy

| image = Maurie Sheehy 1914-1922.png

| caption = Sheehy during his Collingwood career

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1893|06|12}}

| birth_place = Fairfield, Victoria

| death_date = {{death date and age|1961|01|10|1893|06|12|df=y}}

| death_place = Fitzroy, Victoria

| nationality = Australian

| height = 175 cm

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| originalteam = Northcote District

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| position = Ruckman

| statsend = 1922

| years1 = 1914, 1916–1922

| club1 = Collingwood

| games_goals1 = 110 (22)

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| office = Legislative Council Member for Parliament

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| party = Labor Party; Democratic Labor Party

| profession = Footballer and politician

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Maurice Patrick Sheehy (12 June 1893 – 10 January 1961) was an Australian politician, and a member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Melbourne Province. As a young man, "Maurie" Sheehy (as he was then known) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). As an older gentleman, Sheehy was a politician, better known as Patrick Sheehy.{{cite web |title=LABOUR CHOICE FOR BY-ELECTION |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22529546 |publisher=The Argus |access-date=20 January 2025 |page=5 |date=2 February 1948}}

Sports notoriety

Sheehy began his sports career at Collingwood in 1914. After just two games he crossed to Fairfield where he spent the 1915 football season. The Northcote District recruit returned to Collingwood the following year and went on to appear in four Grand Finals. A back pocket in their 1919 premiership team, Sheehy also participated in the club's losing 1918, 1920 and 1922 Grand Final sides. He left Collingwood to coach Northcote in 1923.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128109968 |title=VICTORIAN ASSOCIATION. |newspaper=The Referee|location=Sydney |date=8 August 1923 |access-date=2 October 2014 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Political career

Sheehy joined the Labor Party in 1911. He was a Richmond, Australia city councillor (1934–1956); and twice mayor (from 1941 to 1942 and 1951–52).

Sheehy had also contested the federal seat of Kooyong as the Australian Labor Party candidate in 1951, losing to the incumbent Robert Menzies.

Sheehy was elected to the Victorian State Legislative Council for the seat of Melbourne in June 1952, and served until his defeat in June 1958. He represented the Labor Party from 21 June 1952 until March 1955. When the party split in March 1955, Sheehy became a member of the Democratic Labor Party (or the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist) as it was originally known) until his defeat on 20 June 1958.Ainsley Symons (2012), 'Democratic Labor Party members in the Victorian Parliament of 1955–1958,' in Recorder (Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne Branch) No. 275, November, Pages 4-5.Robert Murray (1970), The Split, F.W. Cheshire, Melbourne.{{cite book |author=Geoff Browne |title=A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900–84 |publisher=Government Printer, Melbourne|year=1985 |page=189 |isbn= 0724183078 |url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1431 |access-date=2012-10-22}}

Sheehy was a Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works Commissioner from 1950 until 1956, and he also served for a time as a member of the Richmond Girls' Secondary School Council.