Claude Barnard
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Herbert Claude Barnard (16 October 1890 - 6 December 1957) was an Australian politician and government minister.
Barnard was born at Mole Creek, Tasmania and educated at Invermay State School, but left school at 14. In 1909 he began working for Tasmanian Government Railways, first as an engine cleaner and eventually as a driver. In March 1912 he married Martha Melva McKenzie and they raised three sons and a daughter in East Launceston. In 1920 he helped found the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen.[1]
[edit] Political career
Barnard stood unsuccessfully at the 1931 election as the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Bass in the Australian House of Representatives. In 1933, he became state secretary of the party and at the 1934 election he won Bass. From 1941 to 1946, he was chairman of the joint parliamentary committee on social security, which developed much of the Curtin and Chifley governments' social policy agenda. In November 1946, he was appointed Minister for Repatriation in the second Chifley Ministry. Although one of his sons was killed in the war and the other two were injured, he was under constant attack from service organisations and others for not delivering more for war veterans and, like his predecessor, Charles Frost, in 1946, he lost his seat at the 1949 election.[1]
In 1950, Barnard was elected to represent the Tasmanian Legislative Assembly division of Bass and held it until his death. He died of cancer in Launceston Public Hospital, survived by his wife and two sons, including his son Lance, who was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1974.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Chapman, R. J. K. (1993). Barnard, Herbert Claude (1890 - 1957). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Frost |
Minister for Repatriation 1946 – 1949 |
Succeeded by Walter Cooper |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Allan Guy |
Member for Bass 1934 – 1949 |
Succeeded by Bruce Kekwick |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Barnard, Herbert Claude |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 16 October 1890 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mole Creek, Tasmania |
| DATE OF DEATH | 6 December 1957 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Launceston, Tasmania |
