| William Yates | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Holt |
|
| In office 13 December 1975 – 18 October 1980 |
|
| Preceded by | Max Oldmeadow |
| Succeeded by | Michael Duffy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 September 1921 |
| Died | 18 April 2010 (aged 88) Tallangatta, Victoria |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Occupation | Soldier |
William Yates (15 September 1921 – 18 April 2010[1]) was a British Conservative politician and later an Australian Liberal politician. He was one of a select few to have served in both the UK and Australian parliaments.
William Yates was born in 1921. Educated at Uppingham School and Hertford College, Oxford, he served with the Queen's Bays during the Second World War. Yates served in the Foreign Office in the Middle East, working in military intelligence in the Suez Canal Zone. He lived briefly in Lebanon.[2]
A member of the Conservative Party, in 1955 he was elected to the House of Commons for the marginal seat of The Wrekin.
During the 1956 Suez Crisis Yates emerged as one of the government's staunchest critics. On 1 November 1956, Yates interrupted on a point of order and said, "I have come to the conclusion that Her Majesty's Government has been involved in an international conspiracy". Later that day, representatives from the United States and the Soviet Union at the United Nations joined forces and demanded a cease-fire as the secret alliance between Britain, France and Israel known as the Protocol of Sèvres was revealed.[2] Ultimately the exposure led to the downfall of the Prime Minister Anthony Eden.
Yates was defeated by the Labour Party in the 1966 General Election. The following year he left the Conservative Party over a dispute over the Arab-Israeli War.
A senior partner in World Wide Industrial Consultants, Yates moved to Australia, where at the 1975 election he was elected as a Liberal Member of the House of Representatives, representing the Victorian seat of Holt. He was defeated at the 1980 election by the Australian Labor Party.
He went on to spend over a year (26 May 1982 – 9 August 1983) as Administrator of the Australian territory of Christmas Island.
In 2003, at the age of 82, he earned a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Melbourne following publication of his thesis on British policy during the Suez crisis.
Yates was married to Camilla and had four sons: Tom, Peter, Oliver and Mark.
He died in 2010, aged 88.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ivor Owen Thomas |
Member of Parliament for The Wrekin 1955 – 1966 |
Succeeded by Gerald Fowler |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by Max Oldmeadow |
Member for Holt 1975 – 1980 |
Succeeded by Michael Duffy |