Ray O'Connor

Ray O'Connor
O'Connor in 1965
22nd Premier of Western Australia
In office 25 January 1982 – 25 February 1983
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Sir Richard Trowbridge
Deputy	Cyril Rushton
Preceded by	Sir Charles Court
Succeeded by	Brian Burke
Leader of the Opposition
In office 25 February 1983 – 15 February 1984
Premier	Brian Burke
Deputy	Bill Hassell
Preceded by	Brian Burke
Succeeded by	Bill Hassell
Leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party
In office 25 January 1982 – 15 February 1984
Deputy	Cyril Rushton Bill Hassell
Preceded by	Sir Charles Court
Succeeded by	Bill Hassell
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for Mount Lawley
In office 31 March 1962 – 24 August 1984
Preceded by	Edward Oldfield
Succeeded by	George Cash
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for North Perth
In office 21 March 1959 – 31 March 1962
Preceded by	Stan Lapham
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	Raymond James O'Connor (1926-03-06)6 March 1926 Perth, Western Australia
Died	25 February 2013(2013-02-25) (aged 86) Scarborough, Western Australia
Political party	Liberal (1957–1995, 2001–)
Spouses	Beverley Vilma Lydiate ​ ​ (m. 1950, divorced)​ Vesna Frances Stampalia (née Dragicevich) ​ ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	8
Nickname	Rocky[1][2]

Raymond James O'Connor (6 March 1926 – 25 February 2013) was an Australian politician who served as the premier of Western Australia from 25 January 1982 to 25 February 1983. He was a member of the Parliament of Western Australia from 1959 to 1984, and a minister in the governments of David Brand and Charles Court. O'Connor was born in Perth and attended schools in the Wheatbelt towns of Narrogin and York as well as St Patrick's Boys' School in Perth, leaving school at the age of 14. He competed in athletics and played Australian rules football as a teenager and young adult, including playing 14 matches for East Perth in the Western Australian National Football League. During World War II, he served in the Second Australian Imperial Force in New Britain and Bougainville.

O'Connor joined the Liberal Party in 1957 and was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1959. From 1965 to 1971, he was a minister in the Brand government. During this time, he served as the minister for railways and minister for transport, in which he oversaw the gauge standardisation project of the railway between Perth and Kalgoorlie. He became a minister again when Court was elected premier in 1974. He was police minister when the murder of Shirley Finn occurred in 1975, which remains unsolved but was likely done by a corrupt police officer.

O'Connor became deputy premier in 1980. When Court resigned as premier in January 1982, O'Connor was elected by his party to succeed him. The 1983 state election occurred 13 months later, in which the O'Connor government was defeated by Brian Burke and the Labor Party. The election was mainly fought on economic issues, particularly unemployment. O'Connor became opposition leader but was removed in a leadership spill in February 1984.

After resigning from Parliament in 1984, O'Connor started a consultancy business. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1989. During the WA Inc royal commission, it was determined that O'Connor had misappropriated a A$25,000 Bond Corporation cheque for himself. In May 1993, he was charged with stealing the cheque, and in February 1995, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was released on parole six months later. As a result of his conviction, his appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia was terminated.