Walter Lee (Australian politician)
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| The Hon. Sir Walter Lee KCMG | |
 Portrait by Jack Cato |
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24th Premier of Tasmania
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| In office April 15, 1916 – August 12, 1922 |
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| Preceded by | John Earle |
| Succeeded by | John Hayes |
| Constituency | Wilmot |
| In office August 14, 1923 – October 25, 1923 |
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| Preceded by | John Hayes |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Lyons |
| In office March 15, 1934 – June 22, 1934 |
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| Preceded by | John McPhee |
| Succeeded by | Albert Ogilvie |
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| Born | April 27, 1874 Longford, Tasmania |
| Died | June 1, 1963 (aged 89) Westbury, Tasmania, Australia |
| Birth name | Walter Henry Lee |
| Political party | Nationalist |
| Other political affiliations |
Anti-Socialist Liberal |
| Spouse | Margaret Matilda Barnes |
| Religion | Methodist |
The Hon. Sir Walter Henry Lee, KCMG (April 27, 1874 – June 1, 1963) was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions: from April 15, 1916 to August 12, 1922, from August 14, 1923 to October 25, 1923; and from March 15, 1934 to June 22, 1934.
Lee was born in Longford in Tasmania's north-east, where he was educated to primary level at Longford State School. He joined his father's business, and later went into business with his brother as a wheelwright with Lee Bros.
Lee was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 1909 election, representing the rural seat of Wilmot for the Anti-Socialist Party. In 1912, the party became the Commonwealth Liberal Party, and would later become the Nationalist Party. In 1915, Lee became Leader of the Opposition, and after the Liberals won 15 out of 30 seats at the 1916 election, Lee was sworn in as Premier of Tasmania (also serving as Minister for Education; and Chief Secretary until 1922). In spite of World War I, the first term of Lee's government was relatively smooth, and as the Nationalist Party, they retained government in the 1919 election with a one-seat majority.[1]
At the 1922 election, the emergence of the Country Party split the anti-Labor vote. With the Country Party holding the balance of power, but openly antagonistic towards him, Lee resigned as Premier (after a record term) and handed over to John Hayes, who was unanimously elected premier in a coalition government, with Lee as Treasurer.[2] Unable to resolve Tasmania's financial crisis, Hayes resigned after a year and Lee became premier again, albeit only for ten weeks after he was defeated by a Labor no-confidence motion, and Labor's Joseph Lyons became Premier.[1]
Lee became Premier for a third time in 1934, when as Deputy Premier he took over for John McPhee, who retired due to ill-health. His term lasted for three months, when Labor won the 1934 election, although he remained as Leader of the Opposition until July 1936. He retired from Parliament when he lost his seat in the 1946 election, where he ran as an Independent Liberal after failing to secure endorsement from the new Liberal Party of Australia.[1]
He was made Knight Bachelor in 1920, and a KCMG in 1922.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Scott Bennett, Lee, Sir Walter Henry (1874 - 1963), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, pp 52-53.
- ^ Scott Bennett, Hayes, John Blyth (1868 - 1956), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, Melbourne University Press, 1983, pp 239-240.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Earle |
Premier of Tasmania 1916 – 1922 |
Succeeded by John Hayes |
| Preceded by John Hayes |
Premier of Tasmania 1923 |
Succeeded by Joseph Lyons |
| Preceded by John McPhee |
Premier of Tasmania 1934 |
Succeeded by Albert Ogilvie |
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