John Lawson (Australian politician)
Minister for Trade and Customs | |
|---|---|
| In office 26 April 1939 – 23 February 1940 | |
| Prime Minister | Robert Menzies |
| Preceded by | John Perkins |
| Succeeded by | George McLeay |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Macquarie | |
| In office 19 December 1931 – 21 September 1940 | |
| Preceded by | Ben Chifley |
| Succeeded by | Ben Chifley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 March 1897 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 14 August 1956 (aged 59) Singleton, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | United Australia Party |
| Spouse |
Jessie Orchard (m. 1925) |
| Relations | Richard Orchard (father-in-law) |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Occupation | Veterinarian |
John Norman Lawson (24 March 1897 – 14 August 1956) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the
first Menzies Government
from 1939 to 1940.
Early life
Lawson was born in Sydney on 24 March 1897. He was the son of Eleanor (née Day) and James Lawson; his father was a carrier.[1]
Lawson attended
Nyngan, New South Wales.[1]
Politics
In 1930, Lawson unsuccessfully stood as a
Nationalist candidate for the seat of Cobar in an attempt to enter the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He was later endorsed by the United Australia Party to contest the federal seat of Macquarie, held by Ben Chifley, the Labor Minister for Defence. In a surprising result, Lawson defeated Chifley by 456 votes, having been helped by the split of the Labor vote between Chifley and the Lang Labor candidate, Tony Luchetti
.
Lawson was a vocal supporter of the proposal to establish a shale-oil undertaking at
Prime Minister Joseph Lyons' refusal to proceed with a scheme for national insurance
, the loyal Lawson resigned his portfolios too. Upon Lyons' death in 1939, Menzies, as the new Prime Minister, was able to reward Lawson's devotion by appointing him minister for trade and customs.
Lawson was an important part of the
Country Party
, which had withdrawn from its alliance with the UAP, for negotiating a deal which gave Australian Consolidated Industries Ltd a virtual monopoly over the Australian motorcar industry. He embarrassed the ministry when it was revealed that he had leased a racehorse, and was reprimanded, but not sacked, by Menzies. Lawson, convinced that he had jeopardised the government, resigned anyway, on 23 February 1940. At the 1940 federal elections, he lost his seat to Chifley.
Personal life
In 1925, Lawson married Jessie Orchard, the daughter of businessman and federal MP Richard Orchard. The couple had three children.[1]
After leaving politics, Lawson managed Arrowfield, a stud farm at Jerrys Plains, New South Wales. He died of a heart attack on 14 August 1956, aged 59.[1]
References
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 25 August 2007.
- ^ "Members of parliament and legislatures" (PDF). Sydney High School Old Boys Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
