William Oliver Fulton (24 February 1891 – 27 August 1975) was an Australian politician. He was born in

Mooroopna Mooroopna is a rural town located north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river between the two towns. At the 2016 census, Moor ...

to butcher George Fulton and Caroline Eatwell. Educated locally, he became a blacksmith at Charlton and

Wonthaggi Wonthaggi is a seaside town located south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally for its coal mining, it is now the largest town in South Gippsl ...

, and served with the 13th Light Horse Regiment in

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 ...

. On 24 April 1915 he married Mary Emma Lancaster, with whom he had five children. In 1921 he settled at

Maffra Maffra is a town in Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Wellington local government area and it is the second most populous city of the Shire. It relies mainly on dairy farming and other agriculture, and is the sit ...

, where he became a manufacturer of agricultural implements. In 1942 he was elected to the

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

as the Country Party member for Gippsland North. Defeated in 1945, he was returned in 1947. In 1950 he was appointed

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

in the Country Party government, but he lost his seat in 1952. In 1953 he won a by-election for

Gippsland Province Gippsland Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1882 until 2006. It was based in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Gippsland Province was created in the redistribution of provinces in 1882 wh ...

in 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 ...

, where he served until his retirement in 1964. In June 1955 he had married Marjorie Beryl Moss, ''née'' Cowden. Fulton died in Maffra in 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulton, Bill 1891 births 1975 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Ministers for Health (Victoria) 20th-century Australian politicians People from Mooroopna