Lionel Bowen

Lionel Frost Bowen AC (born 28 December 1922), Australian politician, was a senior Labor Party figure, serving in the ministries of Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke. He was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from 1983 to 1990.

Early life

Bowen was born in the Sydney suburb of Ultimo and educated at Cleveland Street public school, Marcellin College Randwick and Sydney University, receiving an LLB in 1946, and becoming a solicitor. He served in the Second Australian Imperial Force from 1941 to 1945, achieving the rank of corporal.^[1][2]

Political career

He served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 1962–69, representing Randwick^[2] before being elected to the Parliament of Australia in 1969, to the seat of Kingsford Smith in the House of Representatives. From 1972 to 1975 he served successively as Minister for Manufacturing Industry, Special Minister of State and Postmaster-General in the Whitlam cabinet, gaining a reputation as a reliable if unspectacular minister.

When Whitlam resigned as Labor leader after his defeat at the 1977 election, Bowen contested the party leadership but was defeated by Bill Hayden and became Deputy Leader. He retained this position when Bob Hawke became Leader in February 1983. When Hawke won the March 1983 election, Bowen became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade in the first Hawke Ministry. In July 1983, he was appointed Vice-President of the Executive Council and in the December 1984 ministry, he became Attorney-General, losing the Trade portfolio.

In 1988 Bowen sponsored four referendums to reform the Australian Constitution (see Australian referendum, 1988), but all were defeated. He retired from federal politics prior to the March 1990 election, and was succeeded as Deputy Prime Minister by Paul Keating.

In 1991, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the community and politics."^[3]

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