| John Curtin | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leader of the Australian Labor Party | |
| In office 1 October 1935 – 5 July 1945 | |
| Preceded by | James Scullin |
| Succeeded by | Ben Chifley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph Ambrose Curtin 8 January 1885 Creswick, Victoria |
| Died | 5 July 1945 (aged 60) Canberra, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | Elsie Needham (m. 1917) |
| Children | 2 |
John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the de facto deputy Prime Minister in the war coalition under Robert Menzies. Despite never leading the government himself, Curtin was heavily involved in home affairs during the war. His leadership skills and personal character were acclaimed by his political contemporaries and he is frequently ranked as one of Australia's greatest political leaders.
Biography[]
John Curtin was born on 8 January 1885 in Creswick, Victoria. He left school at a young age and became involved in the labour movement in Melbourne, soon involving himself with the Labor Party. He was also active in Victorian unions and later a leader of the "No" campaign during the 1916 referendum on overseas conscription, and was briefly jailed for refusing to attend a compulsory medical examination. He moved to Perth the following year to become the newspaper editor, and later the state president of the Australian Journalists' Association. After previous unsuccessful attempts, Curtin was finally elected to the House of Representatives at the 1928 federal election and remained loyal to the Labor government during the party split of 1931. He lost his seat in Labor's landslide defeat at the 1931 election, but won it back in 1934. The following year, Curtin was elected party leader in place of James Scullin. After the Second World War broke out, he repeatedly refused Robert Menzies’ proposals for a war coalition, fearing anothrt split in his party. After the fall of Port Moresby, however, he reluctantly joined the war coalition under Menzies, which contributed to the resurgence of the Labor splinter faction under Jack Lang in the 1943 election and the party’s defeat. Curtin cooperated with Menzies on the administration of the country, but after disagreements on Australian involvement in the invasion of Japan the Labor party withdrew from the coalition. However, before he could challenge Menzies’ government in the 1946 election, Curtin died suddenly on 5 July 1945, succimbing to his heart disease. He was succeeded in the Labor Party leadership by Ben Chifley.