Robert Menzies

Rt Hon Sir Robert Menzies
12th Prime Minister of Australia
In office
26 April 1939 – 26 August 1941
19 December 1949 – 26 January 1966
Preceded byEarle Page
Ben Chifley
Succeeded byArthur Fadden
Harold Holt
ConstituencyKooyong (Victoria)
Personal details
Born(1894-12-20)20 December 1894
Jeparit, Victoria
Died14 May 1978(1978-05-14) (aged 83)
Political partyUnited Australia; Liberal

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies (20 December 1894 - 14 May 1978) was the 12th Prime Minister of Australia.[1]

Australia

He was Prime Minister for a total of 18 and half years which is the longest in Australia's history. After the death of Joseph Lyons he was elected leader of the United Australia Party and became Prime Minister in 1939. He resigned in 1941 after a lot of criticism. In 1944, he helped form the new Liberal Party. In 1949, he was re-elected Prime Minister. He stayed in the job until he retired in 1966.

Commonwealth

According to his biography in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, "Menzies belonged to a generation for whom to be Australian was automatically to be British."[1]

Honours

  • Knight of the Thistle, 1963[1]
  • Constable of Dover Castle, 1965[1]
  • Warden of the Cinque Ports, 1965[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Martin, A. W., "Menzies, Sir Robert Gordon (Bob) (1894–1978)," Australian Dictionary of Biography; retrieved 2012-5-18.
Prime Ministers of Australia
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