John Gorton

Sir John Grey Gorton ( born September 9, 1911 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; † 19 May 2002, Sydney ) was a politician and from 10 January 1968 to March 10, 1971 Prime Minister of Australia.

Life

Gorton was the second child of John Rose Gorton and Alice sense. His father was an immigrant who had come from England to South Africa, where he had acquired as a businessman a small fortune. His mother died when he was seven years old. He received his education at the Headford Preparatory School of Sydney Church of England Grammar School then at the Geelong Grammar School. He completed his studies at Oxford University in the UK. After completing his studies he returned to Australia and became manager of his father's orchard near Kerang, Victoria.

On 8 November 1940 the Second World War was also evident in the Asian - Australian space noticeable, he enlisted in the RAAF ( Royal Australian Air Force ), where he was trained as a fighter pilot. His locations were Singapore, Darwin and the Milne Bay in Papua. In a plane crash badly wounded, he was taken to a rehabilitation camp and was discharged from the RAAF on 5 December 1944 at the rank of lieutenant of the Air Force.

After his return he resumed his former occupation as a manager again and was in local government as a member of the City Council of Kerang from 1946 to 1952. He joined the Country Party ( Party), later the Liberal Party ( Liberal Party ). In December 1949 he was a candidate in the Senate elections, which he won. This seat he held in the following four Senate elections. On December 10, 1958, he was appointed Minister of Marine under Robert Gordon Menzies, a position he held until December 1963. Subsequently, he was labor minister until 1967 and until February 1968, Minister of Education and Research. From 16 October 1967 to February 1, 1968 he was also leader of the Government in the Senate.

After the mysterious disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt Sir John McEwen was prime minister in the short term. Due to the resulting turmoil Gorton saw his time had come and through clever features he reached his candidacy for leader of the party which he also became Prime Minister on 10 January 1968. During his tenure, the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Australia, the nuclear power plant Jervis Bay, the production only ended after his successor McMahon of foundations fell. On March 10, 1971, he entered at the urging of his own party from his post, and is intended, the Australian historiography, have voted in its vote against himself. William McMahon won the following vote and became the new prime minister. Gorton then took the post of defense minister by August 13, 1971.

John Grey Gorton was the only senator who ever became Prime Minister. Traditionally, these come from the House of Representatives, comparable to the German Bundestag.

Gorton has three children from his first marriage to Bettina Brown. Ten years after her death he married a second time.

Prime Minister (Australia)
Minister of Defence (Australia)
Member of the Liberal Party of Australia
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Carrier of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Australian
Born in 1911
Died in 2002
Man

445506