Eric Harrison
High Commissioner to the United Kingdom | |
---|---|
In office 23 April 1950 – 30 March 1951 | |
Preceded by | Jack Beasley |
Succeeded by | Thomas White |
In office 25 October 1956 – 25 October 1964 | |
Preceded by | Thomas White |
Succeeded by | Alick Downer |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Wentworth | |
In office 19 December 1931 – 17 October 1956 | |
Preceded by | Walter Marks |
Succeeded by | Les Bury |
Personal details | |
Born | Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia | 7 September 1892
Died | 26 September 1974 Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 82)
Political party | UAP (1931–45) Liberal (from 1945) |
Spouses | Mary McCall (m. 1920–1941)Linda Yardley (m. 1944) |
Children | 3, including Shirley Walters |
Sir Eric John Harrison,
Harrison was born in
In 1944, Harrison replaced
Early life
Harrison was born in Surry Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, to Elizabeth Jane (née Anderson) and Arthur Hoffman Harrison. His mother was born in Ireland, while his father – who worked as a painter and decorator – was born in England. Harrison attended the Crown Street Superior Public School until the age of thirteen, when he left school to work in the textile industry. He eventually became the manager of one of the factories owned by James Anderson Murdoch. In October 1916, Harrison joined the Australian Imperial Force and served on the Western Front from December 1917 in the 5th Field Artillery Brigade. He was promoted to sergeant in May 1918, and rowed in the Royal Henley Peace Regatta in 1919. After returning to Australia and taking his discharge, Harrison married Mary Cook McCall in 1920.[1]
Political career
1930s
Although Harrison had not previously been politically active, in 1931 he established a branch of
In November 1938, Harrison became
World War II
When the Country Party returned to the Coalition in March 1940, Harrison was again left out of the ministry. He became
Harrison was a strong supporter of Menzies, as he continued to be after World War II. He went into opposition with the defeat of the
Harrison was commissioned as an officer in the Militia in 1940 and in 1942 and 1943 he was a full-time liaison officer with the United States military forces in Australia. On one occasion he wore a uniform in Canberra, causing Eddie Ward to denounce him as a fake soldier and to accuse him of having been a member of the New Guard.
His wife died in 1941 and in October 1944 he married Linda Ruth Yardley, née Fullerton, a widow and a businesswoman.
He became deputy leader of the UAP in April 1944. When the UAP was folded into the Liberal Party of Australia in late 1944, Harrison became its first deputy leader, holding the position until 1956. He was the longest serving Liberal Party Deputy Leader until his record was broken by Peter Costello in 2006.
He was a vocal critic of the Curtin and Chifley governments.[1]
Post-war
Following the Liberal Party's win in the December 1949 election, Harrison became the third-ranking member of the government, behind Menzies and Country Party leader Arthur Fadden.
He served as
Harrison was acting prime minister for two weeks in June 1954, when Menzies was in New Zealand and Fadden was recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident.[2][3]
Later life
Harrison resigned from parliament in 1956 and became Australian High Commissioner in London, where he was an outspoken advocate[
The Harrisons returned to Australia in September 1964 and moved to the Sydney suburb of Castle Cove. He died at Chatswood of Parkinson's disease and was survived by his wife and the three daughters of his first marriage.[1] One of his daughters was Shirley Walters, a Senator for Tasmania 1975–93.
Honours
Harrison was made a
Notes
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
- ^ "Sir Eric Harrison PM for fortnight". The Courier-Mail. 7 June 1954.
- ^ "Sir Eric Harrison to be Acting Prime Minister". The Age. 7 June 1954.