Claude Alfred Wharton (15 October 1914 – 3 January 2003) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

Biography

Wharton was born at

Gayndah Gayndah is a town and locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Gayndah had a population of 1,981 people. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. Geography Gayndah is on the Burnett River and ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, the son of William Alfred Wharton and his wife Daisy May (née Schlemer). He was educated at Ginoondan State School before attending

Maryborough Grammar School Maryborough State High School (commonly abbreviated as 'MSHS') is an Independent Public School located in Maryborough, Queensland, Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. The school is run by the Queensland State Government, and is split on either si ...

. He was a grazier and a breeder of stud cattle and pigs. He later became a director of the Queensland Bacon Pty Ltd and the Queensland Cold Storage Cooperative Federation Ltd. On 11 November 1942 he married Pearl Estelle Dent (died 2005)Deceased search
—

North Burnett Regional Council The North Burnett Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia in the northern catchment of the Burnett River. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the ear ...

Retrieved 11 May 2016. at St Matthew's Church in GayndahMotion of Condolence
—

Hansard ''Hansard'' is the traditional name of the transcripts of parliamentary debates in Britain and many Commonwealth countries. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), a London printer and publisher, who was the first official print ...

. Retrieved 11 May 2016. and together had two sons and a daughter. He was a Parish Councillor of the Anglican Church in Gayndah and a member of the local

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

. Wharton died in January 2003 and was buried in the Gayndah Cemetery.

Public career

Wharton, a member of the Country Party (later known as both the

National Country Party The National Party of Australia, also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an Australian political party. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and regional voters generally, it began as the Australian Country Party in 1920 at a fede ...

and the National Party), won the reincarnated seat of Burnett at the

1960 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 28 May 1960 to elect the 78 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election followed the enactment of the ''Electoral Districts Act 1958'' which increased the Assembly from ...

. He went on to represent the electorate for 26 years, retiring in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

. As the Minister for Works, Wharton visited many schools in the days when it was customary for the school to be given a day's holiday on the visit of a Minister. In fact, he visited so many schools that he became known as "Holiday Claude". He held many roles whilst in parliament including the following: * Minister for Aboriginal and Islanders Advancement 1975 * Minister for Works and Housing 1977-1986 * Member of the Parliamentary Building Committee 1969-1974 * Temporary Chairman of Committees 1970-1974 * Member of the Parliamentary Delegation to New Zealand and South Pacific 1970 * Delegate to the General Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in London 1973 * Member of the Standing Orders Committee 1979 * Leader of the Parliamentary Delegation to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa 1984 * Minister for Aboriginal and Islanders Advancement and Fisheries 1975-1977 * Leader of the House 1979-1986

Honours

For his services as a Minister of the Crown, Wharton was awarded the Queensland Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George ( CMG) in 1985. He was the President and International Director of the Rotary Club of Gayndah, receiving Rotary's highest honour - the Paul Harris Fellowship in 1999.

Legacy

* Claude Wharton Weir in Gayndah * Claude Wharton Park,

Brooweena Brooweena is a rural town and locality in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Brooweena had a population of 104 people. Geography The town is located in the Wide Bay–Burnett area and is north of the state capital, Brisban ...

* Claude Wharton Drive, Monduran, * Claude Wharton Drive,

Miriam Vale Miriam Vale is a rural town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Miriam Vale had a population of 512 people. Geography The town is situated on the Bruce Highway, north of Brisbane, the state capital, and south ...

* Claude Wharton Building

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

* In Gayndah, a plaque commemorates the commissioning of the fountain and surrounds at Gayndah Court House on 10th November 1979 by Honourable Claude Wharton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wharton, Claude Alfred Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1914 births 2003 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians People from Gayndah