William Gibson (Australian politician)
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William Gerrand Gibson (19 May 1869 – 22 May 1955) was an Australian politician.
Gibson was born in Gisborne, Victoria and helped his father on his farm before operating general stores at Romsey and Lancefield. In November 1896, he married Mary Helen Young Patterson and in 1910 bought a large farm near Lismore.[1]
[edit] Political career
In 1916, Victorian farmers became suspicious of price-fixing of the price of wheat under the War Precautions Act and established the Victorian Farmers' Union in response and Gibson was elected secretary of its Lismore branch. His brother, David Havelock (Harvey) won the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Grenville for the union in 1917. At a 1918 by-election, he won the federal seat of Corangamite for the Farmers' Union Party—renamed the Country Party in 1921, defeating James Scullin on preferences. He successfully pressed for regulated wheat and dairy prices to be raised until the abolition of price controls in 1921. He was Postmaster-General from 1923 to 1929, and encouraged the construction of telephone lines, the extension of roadside mail deliveries and the building of post offices in country districts. He also encouraged the development of radio broadcasting. In 1928, he was appointed Minister for Works and Railways, as well.[1]
Gibson was defeated with the Bruce-Page government at the 1929 elections and returned to farming. He won Corangamite back at the 1931 elections, but Joseph Lyons did not offer him a place in the ministry. At the 1934 elections, he was elected to the Senate and he remained a senator until he retired in 1947.[1]
Gibson died at Lismore, survived by a son and daughter. His wife and another daughter had already died.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d Lomas, L. (1981). Gibson, William Gerrand (1869 - 1955). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alexander Poynton |
Postmaster-General 1923–1929 |
Succeeded by Joseph Lyons |
| Preceded by William Hill |
Minister for Works and Railways 1928–1929 |
|
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Chester Manifold |
Member for Corangamite 1918—1929 |
Succeeded by Richard Crouch |
| Preceded by Richard Crouch |
Member for Corangamite 1931—1934 |
Succeeded by Geoffrey Street |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gibson, William Gerrand |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian farmer and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 19 May 1869 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gisborne, Victoria |
| DATE OF DEATH | 22 May 1955 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Lismore, Victoria |
