Frederick Samuel Wallis

In 1863 his parents moved to Norwood, and Frederick began his schooling under James Cowell, later under Thomas Caterer.

[1] He began his apprenticeship in the printing trade in 1872, and on completing his indentures joined the South Australian Register as a compositor, simultaneously becoming a member of the Typographical Society (later S.A.

In 1892 he represented the printing trade employees before the Shops and Factories Commission and was one of his Society's delegates to the fourth triennial meeting of the Australasian Typographical Union, which was held in Adelaide.

He became secretary of the Trades and Labor Council in 1897 on the death of John McPherson and held that office for 12 years.

[3] In 1907 he was elected to the Legislative Council on the franchise question and two years later succeeded Kirkpatrick, who had been appointed Agent-General, as Chief Secretary and Minister of Industry in the Price-Peake administration, which came to an end with the death of the Premier of South Australia two months later.

Labor won the 1910 election and John Verran became Premier, Wallis was again appointed Chief Secretary.

[7][8] He served out his term as an independent and ran for re-election in 1921 as an "old-style Labor" candidate, but was soundly defeated.

[9] In 1926, he was ruled to be ineligible to be a delegate of the Labor Party and removed as a trustee of Trades Hall as a result of his 1921 campaign.