George Gray (Queensland politician, born 1903)
George Gray | |
---|---|
Member of the Australian Parliament for Capricornia | |
In office 9 December 1961 – 2 August 1967 | |
Preceded by | George Pearce |
Succeeded by | Doug Everingham |
Personal details | |
Born | Rockhampton, Queensland | 2 October 1903
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Douglas Credit (1930s) Labor (from ?) |
Spouse | Elsa Noelen Braham Stratton |
Occupation | Farmer |
George Henry Gray (2 October 1903 – 2 August 1967) was an Australian politician.[1]
Early life
Gray claimed to have been born at Hay, New South Wales on 2 October 1903 to bank manager George Henry Gray and his wife Priscilla Maud Kerr.[1] He grew up near Orange and was educated at Burwood Public School in Sydney, then becoming a grocer's assistant at Thornleigh.[1] He later became a customs officer at Shanghai in China in the mid-1920s.[1]
Gray returned to Australia around 1926 and moved to
Military service
Gray was mobilised on 29 May 1940 and served in Queensland and Papua New Guinea. In May 1942 he was commissioned in the Australian Imperial Force, and on 12 December 1944 he transferred to the Reserve of Officers as a captain. Returning to Brisbane, he became an accountant for Queensland Cement & Lime Co. and owned a business (run by his wife Elsa) at Bowen Hills.[1]
Return from the military
In 1946, the Gray moved to
Federal politics
In 1961, Gray was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Capricornia.[1] He defeated Liberal incumbent George Pearce on a swing of over 10 percent. He actually came within a few hundred votes of taking the seat on the first count. His victory was part of a 15-seat swing to Labor that nearly toppled the government of Robert Menzies.
In parliament he was chiefly concerned with northern development and defence. He designed a combined tank and tank-carrier for the army, which received serious consideration.[1]
Personal life
On 20 April 1944 he married Elsa Noelen Braham Stratton, aged 19, at
Gray was an elder of the John Knox
On 2 August 1967 he died of
His wife Elsa ("Bray") Gray
References
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ "In credit: D.C. candidates do well". Truth. 12 May 1935. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Fire destroys farm house". The Queensland Times. 29 May 1951. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Adrian (3 December 2011). "Ex-alderman vows: I'm alive". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "RIP Bray: Pioneering Rocky woman and long-term councillor dies". The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2022.