Charles William Frost (30 November 1882 – 22 July 1964) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He served in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
from 1929 to 1931 and 1934 to 1946, representing the
Labor Party. He was a minister in the
Chifley government from 1941 to 1946, and later became
Australian High Commissioner to Ceylon from 1947 to 1950.
Early life
Frost was born in
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, Tasmania and educated at Koonya and
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
state schools, but left school at 13. He later worked at the Iron Blow mine near
Queenstown. He married Ruth Hornsey Young in October 1906 and they had four children (including
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
, who would sit in the
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart.
The Assembly has 25 m ...
). He bought an orchard near Margate and in the late 1920s he was elected as a member of local
Kingborough Council
Kingborough Council is a local government body in Tasmania, and one of the five municipalities that constitutes the Greater Hobart Area. Kingborough is classified as an urban local government area and has a population of 37,734, it covers the ...
.
Political career
Frost ran unsuccessfully for the
division of Franklin
The Division of Franklin is an Australian electoral division in Tasmania.
The division is located in southern Tasmania around the state capital, Hobart. It is the only non-contiguous federal electoral division in Australia, with the two part ...
in the
Tasmanian Legislative Assembly in 1928. He won a
by-election in 1929 for the
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The term of members of the ...
seat of
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
for the
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 ...
. He lost the seat at the
1931 election, but won it back in the
1934 election. When
John Curtin
John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...
came to power in 1941, he was appointed
Minister for Repatriation and
Minister in charge of War Service Homes. He narrowly lost his seat at the
1946 election.
[
]
Later life
On 16 January 1947, Frost took up an appointment as Australian Commissioner to Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.[
] The country was granted Dominion
The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
"Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...
status in 1948 and his title was changed to High Commissioner. He was present for the swearing-in of Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore as Governor-General of Ceylon on 4 February 1948. Later in 1948, Frost was criticised by Australian businessman V. M. Segal for neglecting Australia's trade interests and being unqualified for the post. Segal stated "he is kept there at considerable expense to this country ..it is the biggest sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval chu ...
I know." Although he had been granted a five-year term, after the 1949 election the new Liberal government Liberal government may refer to:
Australia
In Australian politics, a Liberal government may refer to the following governments administered by the Liberal Party of Australia:
* Menzies Government (1949–66), several Australian ministries under S ...
decided to terminate his appointment early on 5 October 1950.[
]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, Charles William
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Franklin
Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Members of the Cabinet of Australia
1882 births
1964 deaths
High Commissioners of Australia to Sri Lanka
20th-century Australian politicians