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Fast facts: Harold Holt

Personal profile

Harold Edward HOLT

Born:

5 August 1908, Stanmore, Sydney

Education:

University of Melbourne (1927–30)

Memberships:

Australian Army (22 May 1940 – 20 October 1940)

Marriage:

8 October 1946, Toorak, Melbourne

Children:

Nicholas (1937), Sam and Andrew (1939)

Died:

17 December 1967

Buried:

remains not recovered

Honours:

Privy Councillor (1953); Companion of Honour (1967)

Zara Kate HOLT (née DICKENS, formerly FELL)

Born:

10 March 1909, Kew, Melbourne

Died:

14 June 1989, Surfers Paradise, Queensland

Honours:

DBE (1968)

Political profile

Terms as PM:

26 January 1966 – 19 December 1967

Terms as MP:

House of Representatives: August 1935 – December 1949 (Fawkner); 22 February 1949 – 19 December 1967 (Higgins)

Portfolios:

Labour and National Service: 29 October 1940 – 7 October 1941
Minister in charge of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research: 29 October 1940 – 7 October 1941
Immigration: 19 December 1949 – 24 October 1956
Labour and National Service: 19 December 1949 – 10 December 1958
Treasury: 10 December 1958 – 26 January 1966

Quiz facts

  • at 30, Holt was the youngest minister in parliament in April 1939
  • he was 30 years in parliament before he became Prime Minister – second only to John McEwen’s 33 years in parliament before he succeeded Holt in 1967
  • Zara Holt was fashion adviser for the uniforms for Australian officials at Expo ’67 in Montreal
  • Holt was a federal parliamentarian for 32 years, the same as Robert Menzies
  • with senior public servant HC Coombs, Holt was instrumental in the formation of the Australian Ballet in 1962
  • first Prime Minister to employ a speech writer

Plus

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