David Fairbairn (politician)
| The Honourable Sir David Fairbairn KBE, DFC, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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|---|---|
| File:David Fairbairn 1950s.jpg | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Farrer |
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| In office 10 December 1949 – 11 November 1975 |
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| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Wal Fife |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 March 1917 Surrey, England |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Canberra, Australia |
| Nationality | English Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth |
| Relations | George Fairbairn (grandfather) Edmund Jowett (grandfather) James Fairbairn (uncle) |
| Children | Three daughters |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | RAAF officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1939–1945 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant |
| Unit | 21st Light Horse Riverina Regiment (1939–41) No. 79 Squadron (1941–45) |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross |
Sir David Eric Fairbairn KBE, DFC, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (3 March 1917 – 1 June 1994) was an Australian politician and cabinet minister.
Early life
Fairbairn was born in Claygate, Surrey. His grandfathers both served in the Parliament of Australia—Sir George Fairbairn served in the House of Representatives seat of Fawkner from 1906 to 1913 and in the Senate from 1917 to 1923, and Edmund Jowett was the federal member for Grampians from 1917 to 1922. His uncle, James Fairbairn, was one of three ministers in the Menzies government who were killed in the 1940 Canberra air disaster.[1]
Fairbairn was educated at Geelong Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1939, took control of Dunraven, a pastoral property at Woomargama, in the Riverina district of New South Wales.
World War II
During World War II, he served in the 21st Light Horse Riverina Regiment from 1939 to 1941 and joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941. He served both in Britain, where he located the first V-1 flying bomb launching site, and in the New Guinea campaign. In 1945 he was badly wounded and discharged with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.[1] Fairbairn had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944.
Political career
In the 1949 election, Fairbairn was elected to the House of Representatives as the federal member for Farrer. He was appointed Minister for the Air in 1962 in the ninth Menzies Ministry. In 1964, he became Minister for National Development. After the 1969 election, he challenged John Gorton unsuccessfully for the leadership and then resigned from the ministry, saying: "I have given deep thought and consideration to this decision. I have made it reluctantly. My sole concern in coming to it is the future of the Liberal Party, the Government and the Nation." According to Ian Sinclair, he was opposed to Gorton's centralism and in particular, his attempt to claim of sovereignty over Australia's territorial waters and continental shelf for the Commonwealth.[2] Fairbairn became Minister for Education and Science in March 1971 in the McMahon Ministry and Minister for Defence from August 1971 to the government's defeat in 1972 election. He retired from Parliament at the 1975 election.[1]
From 1977 to 1980, Fairbairn was Australia's Ambassador to the Netherlands.[3][4] He died in Woden Valley Hospital in Canberra on 1 June 1994, survived by his wife, Ruth and three daughters.[2][5]
Honours
Fairbairn was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944,[6] and made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1977.[7]
Notes
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for the Air 1962–1964 |
Succeeded by Peter Howson |
| Preceded by | Minister for National Development 1964–1969 |
Succeeded by Reginald Swartz |
| Preceded by | Minister for Education and Science 1971 |
Succeeded by Malcolm Fraser |
| Preceded by | Minister for Defence 1971–1972 |
Succeeded by Lance Barnard |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| New division | Member for Farrer 1949–1975 |
Succeeded by Wal Fife |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by
F.J. Blakeney
|
Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands 1977–1980 |
Succeeded by James Cumes |
- Pages with reference errors
- Pages with broken file links
- Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Farrer
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Leaders of the Australian House of Representatives
- 1917 births
- 1994 deaths
- Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Australian military personnel of World War II
- Australian recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
- Members of the Cabinet of Australia
- Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge
- Ambassadors of Australia to the Netherlands
- Defence ministers of Australia
