Charles Hawker

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Charles Allan Seymour Hawker (May 16, 1884-October 25, 1938) was an Australian politician.

Born near Clare, South Australia and educated at Geelong Grammar School, Hawker then studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, earning Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in 1919 and 1922 respectively. While at Cambridge he enlisted in the British Army to serve in World War I. Fighting in the Battle of Passchendaele, Hawker was injured and left severely handicapped.

Hawker returned to Australia in 1920 and in 1929 was elected as a member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the electorate of Wakefield for the United Australia Party. He was a member of the first ministry of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, as Minister for Markets (January 6, 1932-April 13, 1932), Appropriations (January 6, 1932-April 12, 1932) and Commerce (April 13, 1932-September 23, 1932); he was the youngest member of Lyons' ministry and the first Australian Minister of Commerce.

Hawker died in a plane crash near Mount Dandenong, Victoria in 1938.[1]. The Australian Electoral Division of Hawker and the Canberra suburb of Hawker, Australian Capital Territory are named in his honour, and the Charles Allan Seymour Hawker Scholarship was established by his sister Kathleen Lilias Needham in 1991 to fund Australian university education. His cousin, David Hawker, is the current Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Civil Aviation Safety Authority (2006). The crash of Kyeema. Retrieved July 16, 2006

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