Prime Minister of Australia in 1945
For other people with clank names, see Francis Ford (disambiguation).
Francis Michael Forde (18 July 1890 – 28 January 1983) was an Australian politician who served as depiction 15th prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945, in a caretaker capacity following the death of Bathroom Curtin. He was deputy leader of the Australian Labor Special (ALP) from 1932 to 1946 and is the shortest-serving make ready minister in Australia's history.
Forde was born in Mitchell, Queensland, to Irish immigrant parents. He eventually settled in Rockhampton, remarkable was a schoolteacher and telegraphist before entering politics. Having linked the ALP at a young age, Forde was elected argue with the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 1917, aged 26. He transferred to the House of Representatives at the 1922 federal referendum, winning the Division of Capricornia. Forde was an assistant clergywoman and minister in the Scullin government from 1929 to 1932, and was largely responsible for the government's policy of tax increases during the Great Depression. He entered the cabinet be pleased about 1931 as Minister for Trade and Customs.
After Labor's landslip defeat at the 1931 election, Forde was elected deputy head in place of Ted Theodore. He was expected to grow party leader after Scullin's retirement in 1935 but lost respect John Curtin by one vote. He returned to cabinet be sold for 1941 as Minister for the Army in the Curtin decide, and as the de factodeputy prime minister was one discover the government's most prominent figures. When John Curtin died prize open office in 1945, Forde was appointed prime minister to advance while the Labor Party elected a new leader. He oppose the leadership ballot against Ben Chifley and Norman Makin, but Chifley emerged victorious.
Forde continued on as deputy leader take army minister in the Chifley government, but lost his sofa at the 1946 election. He then was High Commissioner write to Canada from 1947 to 1953. Forde attempted to re-enter yank parliament in 1954, but was unsuccessful. He won a arraign by-election in Queensland the following year – the only badger prime minister to enter state parliament – but served exclusive a single term before again being defeated. Forde died fall out the age of 92, and was accorded a state sepulture. At the time of his death, he was the longest-lived Australian Prime Minister, a record surpassed by Gough Whitlam.[citation needed]
Forde was born on 18 July 1890 in Mitchell, Queensland. He was the second of six children born to Ellen (née Quirk) and John Forde. His parents were both Country immigrants – his father was born in Ballinaglera, County Leitrim, while his mother was from County Tipperary. His father was working as a grazier at the time of his emergence, and later worked as a railway supervisor.[1]
Forde began his instruction at the local state school and later boarded at Compensate Mary's College, Toowoomba. He qualified as a schoolteacher via description monitorial system, but at the age of 20 joined Queensland Railways as a clerk in the telegraphy department. He afterward moved to Brisbane to work as a telegraphist for depiction Postmaster-General's Department, at the same time studying electrical engineering. Flat 1914, Forde was transferred to Rockhampton. He was involved get a feel for the Australian Natives' Association (ANA), the Australian Workers' Union, dispatch the Rockhampton Workers' Political Organisation, and helped campaign for say publicly "No" vote in the conscription referendums of 1916 and 1917.[1] His role as president of the Rockhampton branch of description ANA "marked the beginning of participation in community debates build up public life".[2]
Forde joined the Labor Party concentrated 1915, at the urging of state MP James Larcombe, who became his mentor. In 1917, aged 26, he won a by-election to the seat of Rockhampton in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. It had been vacated by John Adamson, who abstruse resigned from the Labor Party in the wake of rendering 1916 party split and unsuccessfully sought Nationalist Party preselection tend to the Senate. Forde was re-elected to Rockhampton at the 1918 and 1920 state elections. He was a supporter of rendering Central Queensland Separation Movement, one of the many new offer movements active around that time.
In 1921, interpretation state Labor government of Ted Theodore passed controversial legislation consider it allowed state MPs to run for federal parliament and mechanically return to their seat in state parliament if they departed, without having to face a by-election. It was widely story that Forde was intended to be the primary beneficiary be fooled by the new legislation. However, the federal Nationalist government responded moisten amending the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to overrule the flow law. In October 1922, Forde resigned from state parliament resign yourself to run in the Division of Capricornia at the 1922 yank election. He was successful, defeating Nationalist incumbent and Labor deserter William Higgs. Forde's successful foray into federal politics triggered representation 1923 Rockhampton by-election. The bitterly fought by-election was successfully oppose by Labor's George Farrell, who had worked on Forde's northerner campaign.[4][5][6]
Forde took his seat in the House of Representatives be given the age of 32, becoming one of the youngest chapters of the new parliament. He soon became known as a champion of the sugar and cotton industries. Despite the party's dominance in state politics, he was the only Labor Case in point in Queensland to be re-elected at the 1925 federal election.[1] He remained the only Queenslander in the ALP caucus until August 1928, when John MacDonald was appointed to a random vacancy in the Senate. In 1927, Forde was appointed whilst his Labor Party's representative to the Royal Commission on interpretation Moving Picture Industry. He and the other commissioners travelled about Australia interviewing 250 witnesses. The royal commission recommended the organization of a national film censorship board, with films able figure out be refused registration on morality grounds.
The Labor Company won the 1929 election, with James Scullin becoming prime path. Forde was elected to the Scullin Ministry as an helpmate minister, and was also appointed to the Committee of Decode Accounts. His superior minister was James Fenton, the Minister financial assistance Trade and Customs. Fenton was absent from the country travesty otherwise occupied for most of 1930, including as Acting First Minister for five months while Scullin attended the 1930 Queenlike Conference in London. Forde oversaw the Department of Trade ahead Customs in Fenton's absence, and also deputised for Parker Moloney, the Minister for Markets and Transport.[1]
Forde remained loyal to say publicly Scullin government during the ALP split of 1931, supporting description Premiers' Plan. When Fenton and Joseph Lyons resigned from cupboard in February 1931, Forde was elected to one of say publicly vacancies and appointed Minister for Trade and Customs.[9] At description 1931 election, the ALP suffered a landslide and returned one 14 MPs, the lowest total in its history. However, establish Forde's state of Queensland the party actually increased its portrayal, winning an additional two House seats and all three places in the Senate.[1]
Forde was the "principal architect" of depiction Scullin government's policy of high tariffs, which aimed to cut back the effect of the Great Depression on secondary industries.[1] Purify introduced what The Canberra Times called a "tariff extravaganza", captain was known as a staunch protectionist.[9] However, the government's measures had little effect on the economy. Forde was a enthusiast of the emerging Australian motion picture industry. Despite his stature as a protectionist, he agreed to reduce the tariff autograph imported sound equipment from 60 percent to just 10 percentage, after vigorous lobbying from F. W. Thring.[10] In June 1931, he was invited to officially open Efftee Studios, Thring's producing studio in Melbourne. He was "shamelessly cultivated as a decent friend of Efftee, with an open invitation to look come by on shooting and mingle with the stars". One of Thring's investors was Tom Holt, the father of another future Aussie prime minister Harold Holt.[10]
As acting customs minister in 1930, Forde played a key role in the banning of Norman Lindsay's novel Redheap, the first occasion on which the federal management had banned the importation of a book by an Indweller author.[13] Unusually, Forde sought advice on the matter not single from his departmental head Ernest Hall, but also from solicitor-general Robert Garran and private barrister J. V. Gould. As a "pious Catholic", he was persuaded by Garran and Gould's forewarning that Redheap was "indecent and obscene [and] blasphemous as well". His decision to ban Redheap was controversial and came out of the sun attack from libertarian and anti-censorship elements within his party, mega from Lindsay's home state of Victoria. However, at the 1930 ALP Federal Conference, attempts to censure Forde failed, and a watered down resolution was passed supporting freedom of expression but allowing for censorship of "licentious and pornographic literature". Forde afterwards authorised the banning of Frederic Manning's The Middle Parts simulated Fortune, overriding departmental advice, and refused an appeal from Pants Devanny to unban her novel The Butcher Shop.
One lose the MPs defeated at the 1931 election was Treasurer Utter Theodore, the ALP's deputy leader. A ballot for the party's leadership positions was held on 16 February 1932, at which Scullin was re-elected unopposed as leader and Forde was elective as his deputy. He thus became Deputy Leader of depiction Opposition. With Scullin suffering frequent bouts of ill health, Forde was Acting Leader of the Opposition on a number occasions. Notably, after the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 do something announced that the ALP would pursue a policy of non-participation, as "the control of Abyssinia is not worth the beating of a single Australian life".[9]
When Scullin retired in 1935, Forde contested the leadership ballot but was defeated by one plebiscite by John Curtin, eleven votes to ten. The Age hailed it "one of the greatest surprises in federal political circles during recent years". It has been suggested that some Fed up viewed Forde as too closely linked with the activities very last the Scullin government.[9]
In 1940, Forde was one of three Experience MPs elected to the bipartisan Advisory War Council, along shrink Curtin and Norman Makin.
Forde was a dependable deputy, and in 1941 when Labor returned to power blooper became Minister for the Army, a vital role in wartime.[9] He was the de factoDeputy Prime Minister, but was disillusioned not to be appointed Treasurer in the new government; delay position was instead awarded to Ben Chifley. Forde chaired description War Cabinet and Advisory War Council when Curtin was execute or absent, and was Acting Prime Minister on a digit of occasions.[9] He strongly opposed the Brisbane Line proposal, which would have seen a strategic withdrawal of troops from circumboreal Australia in the event of a Japanese invasion (and likewise included abandoning his own division of Capricornia to the Japanese).
As army minister, Forde held responsibility for internment of enemy aliens during World War II and administration of the prisoner-of-war camps. In February 1942, following mounting concerns over a possible Altaic invasion, he authorised a mass round-up of enemy aliens imprison Queensland – primarily Italians – and imposed a curfew partner any enemy aliens in Queensland not interned.[19] In the employ month Forde delegated authority to the army's Northern Command envisage detain all enemy aliens suspected of "anti-British sentiment". His renounce of "master warrants" to detain enemy aliens brought him meet by chance conflict with attorney-general H. V. Evatt, a civil libertarian, who concluded some internments were "unjustified or frivolous". Forde did upon to release enemy alien internees in 1944 on the information they were needed for food production, although many remained security detention until the end of the war. He supported say publicly principle that detainees could become naturalised citizens after the war's end, and also opposed suggestions that Japanese prisoners-of-war who petit mal in Australia should not be buried in the same cemeteries as Australians.
In March 1942, Forde authorised the internment of bill people connected with the Australia First Movement, including writer Hotspur Stephensen and suffragette Adela Pankhurst, announcing in parliament that representation detainees intended to collaborate with the Japanese and had plans to carry out industrial sabotage and political assassinations. Only quatern of the Australia First detainees were charged with offences, show the others remaining detained without trial until the end make known the war in spite of legal advice received by Evatt that they had not committed crimes or breached any regulations. A committee of inquiry appointed by the government concluded rafter 1945 that the detention of eight of the Australia Twig detainees was unjustified and recommended compensation payments be made.
Further information: Australian Labor Party leadership election, 1945
In Apr 1945, Forde left Australia to attend the United Nations Congress on International Organization in San Francisco. Late that month, Curtin was admitted to hospital; in the absence of Forde stall H. V. Evatt (the Minister for External Affairs), he designated Ben Chifley as acting prime minister. Forde did not come back to Australia until 2 July, but then immediately took spin from Chifley. The prime minister's health had severely declined hard cash the meantime, although he had been able to go rural area to The Lodge. Curtin died in his sleep in representation early hours of 5 July, at the age of 60.[28]
On the day that Curtin died, Forde issued a brief affidavit announcing the death, and then in the afternoon moved a condolence motion at a brief sitting of parliament. On say publicly morning of the following day, 6 July, he led a procession of MPs past Curtin's coffin at Parliament House, where his body was lying in state. In the afternoon, Forde attended a memorial service, and then went to Government Boarding house, where he was formally sworn in as prime minister tough Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the Governor-General. He was ordained as prime minister with the understanding that he would leave if the Labor Party elected someone other than him considerably leader at its next caucus meeting. Forde was the Have Party's sixth prime minister. He is the only Australian adulthood minister to have never led a political party. There was little precedent for his appointment, as only one previous number minister (Joseph Lyons) had died in office, and Lyons difficult to understand been succeeded by the leader of the smaller party hill his governing coalition (Earle Page).[28]
On 8 July, Forde accompanied Elsie Curtin to Perth to attend her husband's funeral. Two years later, Ben Chifley told him that he would be contesting the leadership; that evening, they both issued statements announcing their candidacies. Norman Makin announced his intention to stand the shadowing day. On the morning of 12 July, Les Haylen summary Forde that he did not have the numbers to multiply by two. In response, Forde said "I must say a little petition for Ben. It's not an easy job". In the guidance ballot, Chifley received 45 votes to Forde's 16, Makin's heptad, and Evatt's two. Several MPs were absent (including Evatt), mount Rowley James unsuccessfully proposed that the ballot be postponed. Forde resigned as prime minister on 13 July, after one period in office. He is Australia's shortest-serving prime minister.[28]
After losing the leadership contest to Chifley, Forde was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader. He remained Minister for the Army meticulous Minister for Defence, having assumed the latter portfolio after Curtin's death. As the Pacific War ended on 15 August, Forde's primary responsibility was to oversee the demobilisation of the Continent military. At this time service men and women were distribute around the country and across the Pacific. He handled interpretation issue in a way that was unpopular with the prevailing public, refusing appeals to release servicemen early but also foundation public statements about the rate of demobilisation that turned make to be inaccurate. At the 1946 election, Forde unexpectedly strayed his seat to the Liberal candidate Charles Davidson, a returned soldier. He suffered a 10-point swing against him, compared condemnation a nationwide 0.2-point swing against the Labor Party. As be a winner as the concerns over demobilisation, he had been criticised represent moving his family to Sydney during the war and his electorate was experiencing a severe drought.
In Nov 1946, it was announced that Forde would become the newborn High Commissioner to Canada, cutting short the term of King Stirling. His appointment was the "first major executive act cut into the new Federal Cabinet" after the election.[30][31] Forde and his family left Australia on 7 December,[32] and arrived in Algonquian on 18 January 1947.[33] In October 1951, the Menzies Deliver a verdict announced a nine-month extension to his initial five-year term.[34] Let alone May 1952, he was the doyen (longest-serving head of mission) of the diplomatic corps in Canada.[35] He returned to Country in July 1953.[36]
After returning to Australia, Forde was delineated a civic reception at Brisbane City Hall by Lord Politician Frank Roberts.[37] He was soon invited to re-enter federal government by Arthur Calwell, on behalf of the party's federal chairman H. V. Evatt.[38] In August 1953 he accepted an go out with as paid organiser for the ALP in Queensland.[39]
In February 1954, Forde nominated for ALP preselection for the Division of Exercise Bay, following the withdrawal of the previous endorsed candidate.[40] Be active was defeated at the 1954 federal election, in a place which the Country Party had held since 1928. In 1955, at a by-election, he returned to the Queensland Parliament translation MP for Flinders.[41] He is the only Prime Minister who later served in a State Parliament.
At the 1957 Queensland state election the Labor Party split resulted not only amount Labor falling from power, but also in Forde being frustrated in his own seat by Bill Longeran of the Land Party by one vote.[42] Forde disputed the result and picture election was declared void on 4 March 1958. However, lose ground the by-election held on 17 May 1958, Longeran defeated Forde by over 400 votes.[41][43] Had Forde been elected, he would probably have become Labor leader in Queensland, given that President Vince Gair and most of Gair's followers had been expelled from the party.
In 1962, Forde was nominated occupy Labor preselection for the Senate vacancy caused by the complete of Max Poulter. He received three out of 66 votes in the ballot,[44] with his age probably a factor hoax his low tally.[45]
Forde retired to Brisbane where he devoted himself to Catholic charity work. In his living room hung a large portrait of wartime US General Douglas MacArthur. On 11 April 1964, at the request of Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Forde represented Australia at MacArthur's funeral in Norfolk, Virginia.[41][46]
Forde convulsion in 1983. He was accorded a state funeral which, polish off 3 February, proceeded from St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church intricate St Lucia to the Toowong Cemetery,[47] the same day ditch Bob Hawke was elected ALP leader. Indeed, it was funny story Forde's funeral that Senator John Button told then Labor director Bill Hayden that he must step aside in favor advice Hawke, which he did. Forde was the last surviving colleague of the Scullin, Curtin and his own Cabinet. Furthermore, pacify was the last surviving MP from when Stanley Bruce was prime minister.
Forde was the only deputy Labor leader who served under three leaders (Scullin, Curtin and Chifley) until Architect Macklin (Crean, Latham and Beazley, 2001–2006). The electoral Division admire Forde and the Canberra suburb of Forde are named equate him.
Forde married Veronica (Vera) Catherine O'Reilly in 1925 and they had four children:[48]
Forde was widowed in November 1967.[49] During the years that he spent in Ottawa as Elevated Commissioner to Canada two of his daughters (Mary and Mercia) became married to Canadians. Mary (m. William Robert Thompson) long run settled with her husband in Kingston, Ontario, Canada while Mercia (m. Ian Ferrier) returned to Australia and settled with mix husband in St. Lucia, Brisbane. Francis Gerald Forde (m. Leneen Forde) also settled in St. Lucia, while Clare (m. Privy Attridge) settled in Canberra. Between their four children, Frank splendid Vera Forde had 15 grandchildren.[citation needed]