Charles Allan Seymour Hawker (16 May 1894 – 25 October 1938) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for Wakefield from 1929 until his accidental death in 1938, representing the Nationalist Party (1929–1931) and its successor the United Australia Party (1931–1938). He was Minister for Repatriation and Minister for Markets (later Commerce) in the

Lyons Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

government from 1931 to 1932.

Early life and war service

Hawker was born at Bungaree homestead, near Clare, South Australia. He was the second son of Michael Seymour Hawker, manager of the Hawker family stations, and his wife Elizabeth Begg, née McFarlane, and grandson of George Charles Hawker. Hawker was educated at Geelong Grammar School, and Trinity College, Cambridge, earning Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in 1919 and 1922, respectively. While studying at Cambridge, he enlisted for service in World War I on 11 August 1914, and was commissioned as a temporary lieutenant in the 6th (Service) Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry on 1 August 1915. He saw action on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in the Ypres salient, and was injured on 11 August and again in the Battle of Loos on 25 September, resulting in the loss of his eye. Despite his injuries, Hawker returned to the front with the rank of captain in May 1917. Hawker was severely wounded again on 4 October 1917 in the Battle of Broodseinde, and was paralysed from the waist down. However, after a series of operations and rehabilitation, he was able to walk with two sticks, although his legs remained in surgical irons for the rest of his life. Hawker returned to South Australia in 1920, resumed his studies and became involved in family agricultural holdings. He became increasingly interested in trade as well as in political movements. Hawker joined the state council of the Returned Sailors' and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia in 1921 and served as its vice-president. He was president of the

Liberal Federation The Liberal Federation was a South Australian political party from 16 October 1923 to 1932. It came into existence as a merger between the rival Liberal Union and National Party, to oppose Labor. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of the E ...

from 1927 to 1930, and was the South Australian member of the Commonwealth Board of Trade from 1928.

Political career

In 1929 was elected as a member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the electorate of Wakefield for the United Australia Party. He was appointed Minister for Markets and Minister for Repatriation in first ministry of Prime Minister

Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office, 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He ...

and was the youngest member of the ministry. On 12 April 1932 he was replaced as Minister for Repatriation by

Charles Marr Sir Charles William Clanan Marr (23 March 1880 – 20 October 1960) was an Australian politician, engineer and soldier. He was a member of cabinet under prime ministers Stanley Bruce and Joseph Lyons, serving as Minister for Home and Territori ...

and the Markets portfolio was renamed Commerce. On 23 September 1932, he resigned from the ministry in protest at its refusal to reduce parliamentary salaries in response to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, having crossed the floor to vote as a minority in a controversial day in Parliament, and did not serve as a minister again, although he continued to represent the people of Wakefield as their elected representative. Hawker travelled extensively, researching issues of trade and farming, and he published his research in pamphlets and treatises and gave lectures on issues of agriculture and pastoral work. He was an enthusiastic book collector and added to a library of volumes inherited from his father.

Death and legacy

Hawker died in the ''Kyeema'' airplane disaster near Mount Dandenong, Victoria in 1938. A memorial was established at St Michael's Anglican Church at Bungaree. The

Australian Electoral Division In Australia, electoral districts for the Australian House of Representatives are called divisions or more commonly referred to as electorates or seats. There are currently 151 single-member electorates for the Australian House of Representati ...

Hawker Hawker or Hawkers may refer to: Places * Hawker, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Hawker, South Australia, a town * Division of Hawker, an Electoral Division in South Australia * Hawker Island, Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarct ...

and the

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

suburb of

Hawker, Australian Capital Territory Hawker () (Postcodes in Australia, postcode: 2614) is a suburb of the Belconnen district of Canberra, located within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb of Hawker is named after Charles Hawker (1894–1938), Member of the A ...

are named in his honour, and the Charles Allan Seymour Hawker Scholarship was established by his sister Kathleen Lilias Needham in 1991 to fund Australian university education. His cousin, David Hawker, was Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives from 2004 to 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawker, Charles 1894 births 1938 deaths Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Wakefield Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of Australia Australian people of English descent Australian pastoralists People educated at Geelong Grammar School United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Army personnel of World War I Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Australia Accidental deaths in Victoria (Australia) Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1938 Somerset Light Infantry officers Australian book and manuscript collectors