Sir Robert Menzies | |
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![]() Menzies in the 1950s | |
12th Prime Minister of Australia | |
In office 19 December 1949 – 26 January 1966 | |
Monarchs | |
Governors‑General | |
Deputy | |
Preceded by | Ben Chifley |
Succeeded by | Harold Holt |
In office 26 April 1939 – 29 August 1941 | |
Monarch | George VI |
Governor‑General | Lord Gowrie |
Deputy | |
Preceded by | Sir Earle Page |
Succeeded by | Sir Arthur Fadden |
Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 23 September 1943 – 19 December 1949 | |
Prime Minister | |
Deputy | Sir Arthur Fadden |
Preceded by | Sir Arthur Fadden |
Succeeded by | Ben Chifley |
1st Leader of the Liberal Party | |
In office 21 February 1945 – 20 January 1966 | |
Deputy | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Harold Holt |
Leader of the United Australia Party | |
In office 22 September 1943 – 21 February 1945 | |
Preceded by | Billy Hughes |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
In office 18 April 1939 – 9 October 1941 | |
Preceded by | Joseph Lyons |
Succeeded by | Billy Hughes |
Deputy Leader of the United Australia Party | |
In office 4 December 1935 – 20 March 1939 | |
Leader | Joseph Lyons |
Preceded by | John Latham |
Succeeded by | Billy Hughes |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Kooyong | |
In office 15 September 1934 – 17 February 1966 | |
Preceded by | Sir John Latham |
Succeeded by | Andrew Peacock |
1st Deputy Premier of Victoria | |
In office 19 May 1932 – 31 July 1934 | |
Premier | Sir Stanley Argyle |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Ian Macfarlan |
Attorney-General of Victoria | |
In office 19 May 1932 – 24 July 1934 | |
Premier | Sir Stanley Argyle |
Preceded by | Ian Macfarlan |
Succeeded by | Sir Albert Bussau |
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Nunawading | |
In office 30 November 1929 – 31 July 1934 | |
Preceded by | Edmund Greenwood |
Succeeded by | William Boyland |
Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for East Yarra Province | |
In office 2 June 1928 – 11 November 1929 | |
Preceded by | George Swinburne |
Succeeded by | Sir Clifden Eager |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Gordon Menzies 20 December 1894 Jeparit, Colony of Victoria, British Empire |
Died | 15 May 1978 Malvern, Victoria, Australia | (aged 83)
Resting place | Melbourne General Cemetery |
Political party |
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Spouse | |
Children | 4 |
Parents |
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Relatives |
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Education | |
Alma mater | Wesley College, University of Melbourne |
Profession |
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Signature | ![]() |
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Prime Minister of Australia First term of government (1939–1941) Second term of government (1949–1966)
Ministries Elections ![]() |
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Sir Robert Gordon Menzies KT AK CH QC FAA FRS (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th prime minister of Australia from 1939 to 1941 and 1949 to 1966. He held office as the leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) in his first term, and subsequently as the inaugural leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, which he was responsible for establishing and defining in policy and political outreach. He is the longest-serving prime minister in Australian history.
Menzies studied law at the University of Melbourne and became one of Melbourne's leading lawyers. He was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1932 to 1934, and then transferred to Federal Parliament, subsequently becoming Attorney-General of Australia and Minister for Industry in the government of Joseph Lyons. In April 1939, following Lyons's death, Menzies was elected leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) and sworn in as Prime Minister. He authorised Australia's entry into World War II in September 1939, and spent four months in England to participate in meetings of Churchill's war cabinet. On his return to Australia in August 1941, Menzies found that he had lost the support of his party and consequently resigned as Prime Minister. He subsequently helped to create the new Liberal Party, and was elected its inaugural leader in August 1945.
At the 1949 federal election, Menzies led the Liberal–Country coalition to victory and returned as prime minister. His appeal to the home and family, promoted via reassuring radio talks, matched the national zeitgeist as the economy grew and middle-class values prevailed; the Australian Labor Party's support had also been eroded by Cold War scares. After 1955, his government also received support from the Democratic Labor Party, a breakaway group from the Labor Party. Menzies won seven consecutive elections during his second period, eventually retiring as prime minister in January 1966. Despite the failures of his first administration, his government is remembered for its development of Australia's capital city of Canberra, its expanded post-war immigration scheme, emphasis on higher education, and national security policies, which saw Australia contribute troops to the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, and the Vietnam War.
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