Sir William Henry Spooner, (23 December 1897 – 14 July 1966) was an Australian politician who served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from 1950 to 1965, representing the

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 ...

. He was a senior minister in the

Menzies government Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

, serving as Minister for Social Services from 1949 to 1951 and then Minister for National Development from 1951 to 1964. He was Leader of the Government in the Senate from 1958 to 1964.

Early life

Spooner was born in Surry Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, the fifth child of Maud Ann (née Dubois) and William Henry Spooner. His older brother

Eric Spooner Eric Sydney Spooner (2 March 1891 – 3 June 1952) was an Australian politician. Early life Spooner was born in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo and educated at Christ Church St Laurence School. At 14 he became a telegraph messenger and studie ...

was also a member of parliament. Spooner was educated at Christ Church School. In June 1914, aged 16, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He served at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

and on the Western Front, and was awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

in September 1917. In 1918, Spooner joined the

Australian Flying Corps The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...

and was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

, completing his war service in August 1919. He established the accounting firm of Hungerford, Spooner & Co in 1922 with his brother Eric. He studied for a diploma of economics at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, graduating in 1923. He married Catherine Frier Vera Bogle in April 1924.

Introduction to politics

Spooner helped campaign for his older brother

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, who was elected to state parliament in 1932 as a member of the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

(UAP) and later served a single term in federal parliament. In the early 1940s, he became involved with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a UAP splinter group. In January 1945, the LDP subsequently merged into the new

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

, and Spooner was chosen as chairman of the provisional executive for the New South Wales division. In July 1945, he was elected as the inaugural state president of the party, a position he would hold until 1950. The following month, he was also made federal treasurer; he also served on the party's Federal Council and Federal Executive, and was chairman of the Federal Finance Committee from 1946 to 1949.

Senate

Spooner was elected to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

at the 1949 federal election. Although his Senate term began on 22 February 1950, he was sworn in as Minister for Social Services in the

on 19 December 1949. The constitution allows ministers to serve for up to three months without being a member of parliament. Spooner was the first person without parliamentary experience to be appointed to the ministry since the ministers in the Barton caretaker ministry prior to the first federal election in 1901. His colleague John Spicer was also sworn in prior to the start of his Senate term, but had previous experience in the Senate. In May 1951, Spooner became Minister for National Development and held that position until his resignation from the ministry in June 1964. His portfolio was responsible for policy towards the mining industry, especially coal, oil, uranium and iron ore. He also oversaw the

Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority Snowy Hydro Limited is an electricity generation and retailing company in Australia that owns, manages, and maintains the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme which consists of nine hydro-electric power stations and sixteen large dams connecte ...

, the

Australian Atomic Energy Commission The Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) was a statutory body of the Australian government. It was established in 1952, replacing the Atomic Energy Policy Committee. In 1981 parts of the Commission were split off to become part of CSIRO, t ...

, the River Murray Commission, the Joint Coal Board and some development projects in northern Australia. From 1958 until 1964, he was

Vice-President of the Executive Council The Vice-President of the Executive Council is the minister in the Government of Australia who acts as the presiding officer of meetings of the Federal Executive Council when the Governor-General is absent. The Vice-President of the Executiv ...

. In September 1962, Spooner was acting prime minister in the absence of other senior ministers, who were overseas attending the 1962 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference (Menzies and

John McEwen Sir John McEwen, (29 March 1900 – 20 November 1980) was an Australian politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia, holding office from 1967 to 1968 in a caretaker capacity after the disappearance of Harold Holt. He was the ...

) and an

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

meeting (

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in S ...

). ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

'' reported that he was only the second senator to serve as acting prime minister, after

George Pearce Sir George Foster Pearce KCVO (14 January 1870 – 24 June 1952) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1901 to 1938. He began his career in the Labor Party but later joined the National Labor Party, t ...

in 1916. Spooner resigned from the Senate in July 1965. He was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

in 1963 and a

privy counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...

in 1966. He died of cancer in July 1966 at

Manly Hospital Manly Hospital provided medical services to the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia before the transfer of services to Northern Beaches Hospital. ThNorthern Sydney Local Health Districtmanaged Manly Hospital. History Manly Hospital was est ...

, survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spooner, Bill 1897 births 1966 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Cabinet of Australia Australian recipients of the Military Medal Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom University of Sydney alumni Deaths from cancer in New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians Australian military personnel of World War I