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Fast facts: John Gorton
Personal profile
Born:
9 September 1911, Wellington, New Zealand
Education:
Geelong Grammar (1927–30); Brasenose College, Oxford (1932–35)
Employment:
orchardist
Memberships:
Royal Australian Air Force (1940–44 ); Melbourne Club; Freemasons
Marriage:
15 February 1935, St Giles Church, Oxford, England, (and on 24 July 1993 to Nancy Home in Sydney)
Children:
Joanna (1937); Michael (1938); Robin (1941)
Died:
19 May 2002, Darlinghurst, Sydney
Honours:
Privy Councillor (1968); Companion of Honour June (1971); GCMG (1977)
Born:
c1916 Maine, United States
Died:
2 October 1983
Political profile
Terms as PM:
10 January 1968 – 10 March 1971
Terms as MP:
Senate: 22 February 1950 – 1 February 1968
House of Representatives: 1 March 1968 – 13 December 1975 (Higgins)
Portfolios:
Minister for the Navy: 10 December 1958 – 18 December 1963
Minister Assisting the Minister for External Affairs: 23 March 1960 – 18 December 1963
Minister-in-charge of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation: 16 February 1962 – 18 December 1963
Minister for the Interior: 18 December 1963 – 4 March 1964
Minister for Works: 18 December 1963 – 28 February 1967
Minister-in-charge of Commonwealth Activities in Education and Research under the Prime Minister: 18 December 1963 – 14 December 1966
Minister for Education and Science: 14 December 1966 – 28 February 1968
Minister for Defence: 10 March – 13 August 1971
Political memberships:
Country Party; Liberal Country Party; Liberal Party of Australia (1949 – 24 May 1975)
Quiz facts
- Gorton was at school with filmstar Errol Flynn at Shore (1924–26) and painter Russell Drysdale at Geelong Grammar (1927–30)
- at Geelong Grammar the lanky and casual Gorton was nicknamed ‘Droop’
- Gorton is the only PM sworn in while still a Senator
- for three weeks in February 1968, Gorton was PM but had no seat in parliament
- American Bettina Gorton was the only prime ministerial wife who was a citizen of another country