Leo Nott

Leo Mervyn Nott (27 October 1915 – 19 September 1992) was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 1953 and 1968 and again between 1971 and 1973. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (NSW).

Early life

Nott was born at Dunedoo, New South Wales and was the son of a farmer. He once wrote a book about his life. His brother, Roger Nott, was a member of the Legislative Assembly between 1941 and 1961 and a minister between 1954 and 1961. He was educated to elementary level at Dunedoo Primary School and initially worked as a shearer and farm hand before becoming a sheep and wheat farmer. He was active in community organizations in the Dunedoo area including the Land Board, Hospital Board and Wheatgrowers' Union. Nott was elected to Gulgong Shire Council between 1951 and 1953 and was the Shire President in 1952-53.

State Parliament

Nott was elected to the parliament as the Labor member for Mudgee at the 1953 state election.^[1] He defeated the Country Party member Frederick Cooke in an election marked by a resurgence in Labor support in rural NSW. Nott retained the seat for Labor at the next 4 elections until it was abolished in 1968. Nott then retired from public life but was persuaded to stand as the Labor candidate for the seat of Burrendong, which had replaced Mudgee, at the 1971 state election. At that election he defeated the sitting Country Party member Roger Wotton. However, the result was reversed at the next election in 1973 and Nott did not contest any further elections. He was the chairman of Labor's Country Conference between 1949 and 1952 but did not hold any other party, parliamentary or ministerial office. After leaving parliament he became a newspaper columnist.^[2]

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