Sir Arthur George Warner (31 July 1899 – 3 April 1966) was an English-born Australian businessman and politician. He was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to manager Arthur Warner and Emily Cheeseman. He attended

Sir George Monoux Grammar School ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

and worked as a telephone mechanic before studying science at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and the Royal Flying Corps, and following the war he migrated to Australia and became a soldier settler in Scottsdale in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. He soon moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and, having qualified by correspondence, worked as an accountant. On 14 August 1920, he married Ethel Wakefield, with whom he had two sons. From 1926, he ran the Radio Corporation which, by 1934, was the largest radio manufacturing firm in the country. In 1934, he applied for the first Australian television licence. In 1938, he founded Electronic Industries Ltd, which, as the manufacturer of the Astor range of products, dominated Australia's radio market in the 1930s. In 1946, he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative C ...

for Higinbotham Province, as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Liberal, defeating the official

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

candidate. He joined the Liberal Party soon after and, in 1947, was appointed Minister of Housing and Materials. He added the State Development Portfolio from 1948 to 1949, and Electrical Undertakings from 1949 to 1950, when the Liberal government was defeated. From 1951, he led the Liberals in the Legislative Council, and was a supporter of

Henry Bolte Sir Henry Edward Bolte GCMG (20 May 1908 – 4 January 1990) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th Premier of Victoria. To date he is the longest-serving Victorian premier, having been in office for over 17 consecutive years. ...

, as opposed to

Thomas Hollway Thomas Tuke Hollway (2 October 1906 – 30 July 1971) was the 36th Premier of Victoria, and the first to be born in the 20th century. He held office from 1947 to 1950, and again for a short period in 1952. He was originally a member and the lead ...

, in the party's leadership instability of the time. When the Liberals were returned to government under Bolte in 1955, Warner was Minister of Transport until his resignation from the front bench in 1962. Created a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in 1956, he was elevated to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1962. Warner retired from politics in 1964 and died at Seymour in 1966. He is the father of Peter Warner, the captain of a fishing boat who, in 1966, rescued six Tongan castaways on ʻAta Island, and later went on to win the line honours three times in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, Arthur 1899 births 1966 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Vice-Presidents of the Board of Land and Works Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian politicians