Lacey was previously the Labor member for the seat of Grey in the Australian House of Representatives from 1922 to 1931.

Of Irish Protestant heritage, Lacey was born in Terowie, South Australia to labourer George Lacey and his wife Mary Ellen, attended the local public school and became one of the area's leading sprinters before commencing work in the Port Pirie smelters.

His high profile in the smelters led to his election to Port Pirie Municipal Council in 1920, a position he held until 1922 when he successfully stood as the Labor candidate for the Federal Division of Grey against the incumbent Alexander Poynton, a former Labor member who left the party over conscription in World War I.

Following the ALP victory at the 1929 election, Lacey was made Chair of the Public Works Committee.

Survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter, Lacey was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery in Adelaide.