Patrick Edward Quinn

by George Dance Patrick Edward Quinn (March 16, 1862 - April 2, 1926) was an Australian poet, journalist, and politician.

Life
Quinn was born at Darlinghurst, Sydney, one of nine children of Catherine (McCarthy) and Edward Quinn, a letter carrier. (His younger brother Roderic Quinn also became a poet.) He attended the Marist Brothers' and Fort Street Model schools. He then studied law, but became a journalist at 20, working for the the Sydney Star, Echo, and Illustrated Sydney News. From 1898 to 1904 he was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Sydney-Bligh. He was deputy trade commissioner for New South Wales in the United States 1912-1917.

Quinn published a good deal of poetry in The Bulletin and the Freeman's Journal. While his verse was polished, it was considered inferior to that of his brother Roderic, an opinion Patrick Quinn shared; like his brother, James Quinn, who also wrote and published poetry, he looked up to Roderic Quinn. A.G. Stephens, editor of The Bulletin, said of the three brothers that " 'Jim was particularly warm-hearted and lovable; Pat had a harder fibre, perhaps gained by combat in the political arena; Rod was like Jim, but always a dreamer'.

On April 26, 1888, Patrick Quinn married Julia Brooke; they had one daughter, Marjorie, who was also a published poet. He died at Manly in 1926 and is buried in Manly cemetery.

Publications

 * Captain Cook (a cantata; music by J. Delaney). 1891.
 * ''The Jewelled Belt: A Detective Story. 1896.
 * ''The Australian Storyteller: For an Idle Afternoon. n.d.

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Australian Dictionary of Biography.