John McEwen
Sir John McEwen GCMG, CH ( born March 29, 1900 in Chiltern, Victoria, † November 20, 1980 in Melbourne, Victoria ) was the 18th Prime Minister of Australia. His term lasted a total of only 32 days from December 19 1967 to January 10, 1968. He was never leader of the opposition.
Youth and early career
John McEwen was the son of pharmacist David McEwen McEwen and Amy, nee Porter. He had a younger sister, the mother died after their birth in 1901. After his father died early in 1907, both children were raised by their grandmother in Wangaratta. He also visited the elementary school. In 1913 he had to leave school and start working to support the family financially can. A year later they moved to Melbourne, where he continued the next two years was formed in addition to working in evening school. At age 16, he was able to work as a clerk in the law firm of Frederick Whitlam, the father of Gough Whitlam, who later became Prime Minister of Australia 21.
Immediately on completion of his 18th year, he volunteered for military service and was finally convened on 9 August 1918. The end of the First World War he lived in a training camp, waiting for the time allotted for it shipped to France.
After his release, he became a farmer and was able to operate his farm successfully and expand significantly in the coming years. In 1924 he sold the original farm and acquired even more, which he in turn sold late in his life.
In 1919 he joined the Victorian Farmers Union, a trade union for farmers who founded the following year, the Country Party (CP). At this time he began also to get involved politically.
On September 21, 1921, he married his first wife, Anne McLeod. This marriage remained childless. She died on 10 February 1967 before he became Prime Minister.
In 1932 he joined unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Country Party (CP ) in elections to the state parliament of Victoria. However, just two years later he was able to win a constituency in elections to the Australian House of Representatives on 15 September 1934. He was since then for various constituencies without interruption until February 1, 1971 Member of Parliament. A few days later, he went into retirement.
Between 1937 and 1941 he headed various ministries under four different Prime Ministers: From 1937 to 1939, Joseph Lyons, Earle Page and Robert Menzies, he was interior minister, foreign minister in 1940 and moved in October 1940 to the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Air Force. There he remained until 1941 in the Cabinet Menzies and Arthur Fadden, before he had to go as his party into opposition.
In 1940, John McEwen competed unsuccessfully for the presidency of the Country Party (CP ) after the former party leader Archie Cameron resigned as a consequence of the parliamentary elections on 21 September, which were associated with high losses mandate for the party. As a stalemate resulted in the vote with his rival candidate Earle Page, was ultimately determined as a compromise candidate Arthur Fadden as chairman. After further for the Country Party (CP ) disastrous parliamentary elections were in August 1943 John McEwen was elected deputy party chairman. It was only in 1958, he finally took over on March 28, the party chairmanship of Arthur Fadden, which he held until 5 February 1971.
After the parliamentary elections of 10 December 1949, the conservative parties in Australia could again form a government and as John McEwen initiated since then interrupted until his retirement on February 5, 1971 different ministries. Apart from its own, albeit brief time as Prime Minister, he served during this time under three different prime ministers.
Prime minister
John McEwen owes his short tenure as Prime Minister the fact that his predecessor in office, Harold Holt, chairman of the party of the larger government party Liberal Party (LP) died without designated successor as party chairman in his office. He pretended he was sworn in on the promise that he would resign as soon as the coalition partners has defined a new party chairman. Accordingly, he resigned from his post after the Liberal Party had (LP) elected on January 10, 1968 John Gorton party leader.
Since his term also coincided with the meeting of the Parliament of free time, John McEwen could take as prime minister no influence on Australian politics. His cabinet remained only the task to prepare the funeral ceremonies for his predecessor as perform.
Later years
Under Prime Minister John Gorton John McEwen was officially appointed Deputy Prime Minister. He also remained a minister in his cabinet. On 26 July 1968 he married his second wife, Mary Byrne, who was previously his personal secretary. This marriage remained childless. In February 1971 he gave up his seat in parliament, the party presidency of the Country Party (CP ) and all other political offices and then went into retirement. In the same year he was appointed in London by Queen Elizabeth II to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. In 1975 he sold his farm and moved permanently to Melbourne, where he died on 20 November 1980.