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In 1925 Evatt was elected as a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He served there until 1930, when the ScullinJames Henry Scullin ( September 18 1876 January 28 1953), Australian politician and ninth Prime Minister of Australia, was born in the small town of Trawalla, in western Victoria, the son of a railway worker of Irish descent. He was educated at state prim Labor government appointed him as the youngest-ever justice of the High Court of AustraliaThe High Court of Australia is the court of last resort for the jurisdiction of Australia. It is mandated by Section 71 of the Australian Constitution. Although the Constitution came into effect in 1901 upon the federation of the former British colonies o. He delivered a number of controversial judgements, several of which brought him into conflict with Robert MenziesSir Robert Gordon Menzies ( 20 December 1894 14 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia. He had a rapid rise to power, but his first term as Prime Minister was a failure. He spent eight years in th, who was Attorney-General in the LyonsJoseph Aloysius Lyons ( September 15, 1879 April 7, 1939), Australian politician and tenth Prime Minister of Australia, was born in Stanley, Tasmania, the son of Irish immigrants. He left school at nine to work as a messenger and printer's devil. But with conservative government. This was the beginning of a life-long mutual dislike.
In 1940Events January-February January 5 FM radio is demonstrated to the FCC for the first time. January 6 World War II: Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the Poznan, Warthegau. January 12 World War II: Russia bombs cities in Finland. February 2 F Evatt resigned from the High Court to return to politics, and was elected federal MP for the Sydney seat of BartonBarton is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was first proclaimed in 1922 About the electorate The Division is named after Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia. Members F A McDonald ( ALP) 1922-25 T J Ley. When Labor came to power under John CurtinJohn Curtin ( January 8 1885 July 5 1945), Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia through the darkest period of its history: when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in W in 19411941 is also the title of a Steven Spielberg movie made in 1979 see 1941 (film). Events January January 6 Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address. January 10 Lend-Lease is introduced into the United St, Evatt became Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs (that is, Foreign Minister). He joined the diplomatic councils of the allies during the Second World War, and in 1945 he played a leading role in the founding of the United Nations. He was President of the UN General Assembly in 1948- 1949 and was prominent in the negotiations which led to the creation of Israel. He became deputy leader of the Labor Party after the 1946 elections.
In 1949 Labor was defeated by Menzies's new Liberal Party and Evatt went into opposition. When Ben Chifley died in 1951 Evatt was elected Labor leader without opposition. At first his leadership went well, and he campaigned successfully against Menzies's attempt to amend the Constitution to ban the Communist Party. But in the Cold War context this alarmed a section of conservative Catholics within the Labor Party.
Evatt believed he was certain to win the 1954 federal elections, and when he unexpectedly failed to do so (despite polling a slight majority of the vote) he blamed the Catholic group in the party for sabotaging his campaign. He was also convinced that Menzies had conspired with the security services to bring about the Petrov Affair as a means of discrediting him.
After the elections Evatt launched a public attack on his enemies in the Labor Party. This precipitated a disastrous split in the party, culminating in the formation of the Democratic Labor Party, a breakway group which directed its preferences against Labor at subsequent elections. This, together with his obsessive hatred of Menzies, which led him into many tactical errors, cost Evatt the 1955 and 1958 federal elections, at both of which Labor was heavily defeated. During the 1958 election campaign Evatt made a dramatic offer to resign as leader if the DLP would return to the party, but the offer was rejected.
In 1960 the Labor government in New South Wales appointed Evatt Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, an appointment which was widely seen as a means of giving him a dignified exit from politics. But in 1962 he suffered a nervous breakdown and retired from the bench. He died in Canberra in November 1965. Evatt remains a hero of the Labor movement, despite many attacks on his reputation since his death. It is sometimes asserted that Evatt was insane in his later years but both of his recent biographers refute this.
The Evatt Foundation, a research institute affiliated with the Labor Party, is named in his honour.