Tom Lewis (Australian politician)

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Thomas Lancelot (Tom) Lewis AO (b. January 23, 1922) was an Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales. He was born in Adelaide and educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide from 1931 to 1940. Subsequently he managed the property of his uncle, Essington Lewis, Managing Director of BHP and Director General for Munitions during World War II. He was a member of the Australian Imperial Force from 1940 to 1946 and served in Sydney, Celebes, Java and Borneo as a lieutenant. He was on the staff of the Australian Embassy, Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951.[1]

Lewis was elected as the member for Wollondilly representing the Liberal Party of Australia in 1957. When the Askin Government came to power in 1965, he was appointed as Minister for Lands, a position he retained until Askin's retirement in January 1975. He then became Premier, but held this office for only a year, and was deposed by Sir Eric Willis in January 1976. He served as Willis's Minister for Local Government until May 1976, when the Liberal Government was narrowly defeated by the Australian Labor Party.[1] At the next election, held in September 1978, Lewis lost his seat to a Labor candidate, Bill Knott.

[edit] Honours

He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2000 for service to the Parliament of New South Wales, to the environment as the founder of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales, and to the community.[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b The Hon. Thomas Lancelot Lewis (1922 - ). Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  2. ^ Lewis, Thomas Lancelot. It's an Honour. Australian Government. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert Askin		 Premier of New South Wales
1975-1976		 Succeeded by
Eric Willis
Preceded by
Blake Pelly		 Member for Wollondilly
1957–1978		 Succeeded by
Bill Knott
v • d • e
Premiers of New South Wales
Donaldson · Cowper · Parker · Forster · Robertson · Martin · Parkes · Farnell · Stuart · Dibbs · Jennings · Reid · Lyne · See · Waddell · Carruthers · Wade · McGowen · Holman · Storey · Dooley · Fuller · Lang · Bavin · Stevens · Mair · McKell · McGirr · Cahill · Heffron · Renshaw · Askin · Lewis · Willis · Wran · Unsworth · Greiner · Fahey · Carr · Iemma
Persondata
NAME Lewis, Thomas Lancelot
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION New South Wales politician and Premier
DATE OF BIRTH January 23, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Adelaide, Australia
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Languages