Edgar Cyril Rushton (23 November 1922 – 23 August 1992) was an Australian politician who was a

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 ...

member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1965 to 1988. He served as a minister in the governments of

Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was a Western Australian politician, and the 21st Premier of Western Australia from 1974 to 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Court's family e ...

and

Ray O'Connor Raymond James O'Connor (6 March 1926 – 25 February 2013) was an Australian politician who served as the premier of Western Australia from 25 January 1982 to 25 February 1983. He was a member of parliament from 1959 to 1984, and a minister in ...

, including as

deputy premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

to O'Connor from 1982 to 1983.

Early life

Born in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, in Western Australia's Great Southern region, Rushton attended schools in Denmark, Mount Barker, and Katanning, before boarding at Scotch College in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. He served in the military during the Second World War, initially as a

signaller A signaller, signalman, colloquially referred to as a radioman or signaleer in the armed forces is a specialist soldier, sailor or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, a.k.a. Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are ...

in 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 ...

, and then as a navigator (rank

leading aircraftman Leading aircraftman (LAC) or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is a junior rank in some air forces. It sits between aircraftman and senior aircraftman, and has a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank badge is a horizontal two-bladed propeller. The ra ...

) in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF). On returning to Australia, Rushton worked at the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway, New South Wales, Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches ...

, initially in country areas and then closer to Perth. He served on the Armadale-Kelmscott Shire Council 1958 to 1966, including as shire president from 1964 to 1965.

Politics

Rushton joined the Liberal Party in 1947. He was first elected to parliament at the 1965 Dale by-election, which came only three months after the 1965 state election. The previous holder of the seat,

Gerald Wild Gerald Percy Wild MBE AM (2 January 1907 – 11 October 1996) was an Australian politician who served as a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1947 to 1965. He was a minister in the governments of Sir Ro ...

, had resigned from parliament to take up the position of Agent-General for Western Australia. As a new member of parliament, Rushton did not serve as a minister under

David Brand Sir David Brand KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945 to 1975, and also the 19th and longest-serving Premi ...

. After

led the Liberal Party to victory at the 1974 state election, he was appointed Minister for Local Government and Minister for Urban Development and Town Planning in the new ministry. The ministry was reconstituted in 1978 after a portfolio reshuffle, and Rushton was named

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government agen ...

, with

June Craig Margaret June Craig AM (née Lynn; born 8 December 1930) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1974 to 1983, representing the seat of Wellington. She was a minis ...

, the only woman in Cabinet, taking over his portfolios. Following the 1980 state election, at which the government was again returned, there was speculation that Court would retire. Rushton was considered a candidate to replace him, along with Craig,

Bill Grayden William Leonard Grayden (born Wilbur Ives; 5 August 1920) is an Australian former politician. He was a member of parliament across six decades, serving in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly (1947–1949, 1956–1993) and the Australian ...

, Ray Young,

Jim Clarko James George Clarko (21 July 1932 – 7 April 2020) was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1996, representing the electorates of Karrinyup (1974–1989) and Marmi ...

, and Court's deputy,

.Phillips 1991, p. 213 Court eventually resigned in early 1982. He was replaced by O'Connor, who was elected unopposed, and Rushton was elected deputy leader in a four-way contest. Retaining his transport portfolio, he also served as Deputy Premier and Minister for Emergency Services in O'Connor's new ministry, which was defeated at the following year's election. With the Liberal Party now in opposition, Rushton was one of four men to contest a leadership ballot in February 1984, along with O'Connor,

Bill Hassell William Ralph Boucher Hassell, best known as Bill Hassell, (born 6 June 1943) is an Australian former Liberal Party politician who was Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia during the mid-1980s. He was a member of the Western Australian ...

, and

Barry MacKinnon Barry John MacKinnon (born 29 October 1944) is a former Australian politician who was a Liberal Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1977 to 1993. He was the state leader of the Liberal Party (and thus Leader of t ...

. Hassell replaced O'Connor as leader of the party and Leader of the Opposition, while MacKinnon replaced Rushton as deputy leader of the party, narrowly defeating

Richard Court Richard Fairfax Court (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, ...

. Re-elected again at the 1986 state election, Rushton underwent open-heart surgery in August 1987, and, having missed much of the following parliamentary session, resigned on 25 February 1988. The resulting by-election was won by Liberal candidate

Fred Tubby Frederick Charles Tubby (born 23 January 1947) is a former Australian politician. The son of Reg Tubby, also an MP, he was born in Morawa, Western Australia, and was a school principal before entering politics. In 1988 he was elected in a by-el ...

, with Labor not fielding a candidate.

Later life

Rushton died in Perth in August 1992, aged 69, and was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

. He had married Elizabeth Melva (Betty) Crouch in 1947, with whom he had four sons and a daughter. They divorced in 1976, and he then remarried to Jean Rachel Evans, in 1977.Rushton, Elizabeth Melva nee Crouch
– The Order of Australia Association. Retrieved 20 August 2014.

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rushton, Cyril 1922 births 1992 deaths Australian Anglicans Deputy Premiers of Western Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People educated at Scotch College, Perth People from Denmark, Western Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers 20th-century Australian politicians Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Royal Australian Air Force airmen Australian Army personnel of World War II Western Australian local councillors