Sir Charles William Davidson KBE (14 September 1897 – 29 November 1985) was an Australian politician. He was deputy leader of the Country Party from 1956 to 1963 and represented the party in federal parliament from 1946 to 1963. He served as

Postmaster-General of Australia The Australian Minister for Communications has overall responsibility for broadcasting, the information and communications technology industry, the information economy, and telecommunications within Australia. The portfolio is currently held by ...

(1956–1963) and Minister for the Navy (1956–1958) 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 ...

Early life

Davidson was born on 14 September 1897 in

Toowong, Queensland Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills w ...

. He was the third child of Marion (née Perry) and Alexander Black Davidson. His mother born in England and his father in Scotland. Davidson attended

Townsville Grammar School , motto_translation = Come In Good, Go Out Better , established = 1888 , type = Independent, day & boarding, IB , gender = Co-educational , denomination = Non-denomina ...

until 1914 and then found work as a stockman in

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1916 and served on the Western Front with the 42nd Battalion. He was wounded in action in September 1918 and returned to Australia.

Military service

He served in World War I. During World War II, he served in the 42nd Battalion of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was twice mentioned in despatches and was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(Military) in March 1945.

Political career

Davidson was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1946 federal election, defeating

Frank Forde Francis Michael Forde (18 July 189028 January 1983) was an Australian politician who served as prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945. He was the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1932 to 1946. He served as pri ...

– the incumbent

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

deputy leader and a former prime minister – in the

Division of Capricornia The Division of Capricornia is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Capricornia is a traditionally a Labor-voting electorate, having been Labor-held for 72 years of the 100 years since 1922. However, Capricornia has recently trended ...

. He received a dual endorsement from the Country Party and the Liberal Party (in the form of the

Queensland People's Party The Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division), branded as Liberal Queensland, was the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia until 2008. It was initially formed in October 1943 as the Queensland People's Party (QPP), whic ...

). He joined the parliamentary Country Party after his election. In March 1947, Davidson was one of several MPs to boycott the swearing-in of

William McKell Sir William John McKell (26 September 1891 – 11 January 1985) was an Australian politician who served as the 12th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1947 to 1953. He had previously been Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947 ...

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.1949 election, following a redistribution, he was elected the member for the new seat of Dawson. He was

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a Ministry (government department), ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having ...

from 1956 to 1963 and Minister for the Navy from 1956 to 1958. In 1958 he was elected deputy leader of the Country Party succeeding John McEwen who had become leader. He retired at the 1963 election. Davidson was made a Knight Commander of the

in June 1964. He died in 1985 and was survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Charles William 1897 births 1985 deaths Australian colonels Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Capricornia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Dawson Members of the Cabinet of Australia National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians