Albert Hawke

Albert Hawke
18th Premier of Western Australia
In office 23 February 1953 – 2 April 1959
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Lieutenant General Sir Charles Gairdner
Deputy	John Tonkin
Preceded by	Sir Ross McLarty
Succeeded by	Sir David Brand
Treasurer of Western Australia
In office 23 February 1953 – 2 April 1959
Premier	Himself
Preceded by	Ross McLarty
Succeeded by	David Brand
Minister for Child Welfare
In office 23 February 1953 – 2 April 1959
Premier	Himself
Preceded by	Arthur Watts
Succeeded by	Leslie Logan
Leader of the Opposition of Western Australia
In office 2 April 1959 – 31 December 1966
Premier	David Brand
Preceded by	David Brand
Succeeded by	John Tonkin
In office 26 June 1951 – 23 February 1953
Premier	Ross McLarty
Preceded by	Frank Wise
Succeeded by	Ross McLarty
Leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia
In office 26 June 1951 – 31 December 1966
Deputy	John Tonkin
Preceded by	Frank Wise
Succeeded by	John Tonkin
Deputy Premier of Western Australia
In office 31 July 1945 – 1 April 1947
Premier	Frank Wise
Preceded by	Frank Wise
Succeeded by	Arthur Watts
Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia
In office 31 July 1945 – 1 April 1947
Leader	Frank Wise
Preceded by	Frank Wise
Succeeded by	John Tonkin
Minister for Industrial Development and Post-War Reconstruction
In office 10 February 1943 – 31 July 1945
Premier	John Willcock
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Arthur Watts
Minister for Works
In office 13 May 1936 – 31 July 1945
Premier	Phillip Collier John Willcock
Preceded by	Harry Millington
Succeeded by	Victor Doney
Minister for Employment and Labour
In office 13 May 1936 – 10 February 1943
Premier	Phillip Collier John Willcock
Preceded by	James Kenneally
Succeeded by	John Tonkin
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Northam
In office 24 April 1933 – 23 March 1968
Preceded by	James Mitchell
Succeeded by	Ken McIver
Member of the South Australian House of Assembly for Burra Burra
In office 5 April 1924 – 26 March 1927 Served with Sydney McHugh and Mick O'Halloran
Preceded by	George Jenkins
Succeeded by	George Jenkins
Personal details
Born	(1900-12-03)3 December 1900 Kapunda, South Australia
Died	Adelaide, South Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Mabel Crafter (m.1923-d. 1967)
Relations	Arthur Hawke (brother) John Hawke (nephew) Robert Hawke (nephew) See Hawke family
Children	1
Parents	James Hawke (1862-1930) Elizabeth Pascoe (1862-1946)
Alma mater	School of Mines, Kapunda
Religion	Congregational Methodist

Albert Redvers George "Bert" Hawke (3 December 1900 – 14 February 1986) was an Australian politician who served as the 18th Premier of Western Australia.

Early life

Hawke was born to James Renfrey Hawke and Elizabeth Ann Blinman née Pascoe, both of Cornish descent, in Kapunda, South Australia. Leaving school at the age of 13, he took up an apprenticeship as a clock-maker and jeweller, before working in a lawyer's office and joining the Australian Labor Party at 15.

Political career

At the age of 23 in the April 1924 elections he won the seat of Burra Burra in the South Australian House of Assembly, making him the youngest person to have won a seat in that parliament.

After losing the seat by just 11 votes in the following 1927 election, he moved to Western Australia in 1928, becoming a country organiser for the ALP. In 1933 he caused a major political upset by defeating the sitting Premier Sir James Mitchell by 460 votes in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Northam. Mitchell had held the seat for 28 years previously. Hawke held the seat himself for 35 years until the 1968 general elections for which he did not re-nominate.

During his Western Australian parliamentary career he was appointed Minister for Employment and Labour in 1936 in the Collier and Willcock governments. He also held the positions of Minister for Labour and Industrial Development (1939), Minister for Works, Water Supplies and Industrial Development (1943). After Labor's defeat in the 1947 elections he held various shadow portfolios before becoming Leader of the Opposition on 3 July 1951 after Frank Wise resigned.

In the 23 February 1953 elections he led Labor to victory over the two-term Liberal-Country government of Sir Ross McLarty, becoming Premier as well as Treasurer and Minister for Child Welfare and Industrial Development. In June 1953, Hawke attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London. In social policy, Hawke's governments enacted a series of progressive social reforms including the gradual easing of some oppressive regulations on Aborigines in WA, an accelerated construction of houses and schools, increases in workers’ compensation payments, allowing women to sit on juries, the regulation of hire purchase transactions, and the raising of the school-leaving age to 15.

Later life and death

Labor lost the March 1959 elections to David Brand's Liberals, but he stayed on as opposition leader until 1965, when he retired from politics and returned to live in South Australia. In 1986, Hawke died in Adelaide, aged 85.

Personal life

In 1926, Hawke married Mabel Crafter, and they had a daughter.

Hawke's brother, Arthur Hawke, a Congregational minister, was the father of Bob Hawke, the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia.

See also

• Hawke Ministry

References

• Ross McMullin, The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891-1991

Political offices
Preceded by Sir Ross McLarty	Premier of Western Australia 1953–1959	Succeeded by David Brand
Preceded by Frank Wise	Leader of the Opposition 1951–1953 and 1959–1966	Succeeded by Sir Ross McLarty
Preceded by David Brand		Succeeded by John Tonkin
Preceded by James Kenneally	Minister for Employment and Labour 13 May 1936–10 February 1943	Succeeded by John Tonkin
Preceded by Harry Millington	Minister for Works 13 May 1936–31 July 1945	Succeeded by Victor Doney
New title	Minister for Industrial Development and Post-War Reconstruction 10 February 1943–31 July 1945	Succeeded by Arthur Watts
Preceded by Arthur Watts	Minister for Child Welfare 1953–1959	Succeeded by Leslie Logan
Parliament of Western Australia
Preceded by Sir James Mitchell	Member for Northam 1933–1968	Succeeded by Ken McIver
Party political offices
Preceded by Frank Wise	Leader of the Labor Party 1951–1966	Succeeded by John Tonkin