Edgar Wylie Prowse (22 March 1905 – 2 June 1977) was an Australian politician who served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

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 1962 to 1973, representing the Country Party. He was a farmer before entering politics.

Early life

Prowse was born in

Mount Kokeby, Western Australia Mount Kokeby is a small town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about south of the town of Beverley towards Brookton. History The town name is the product of a misspelling of Rokeby (after Henry Montagu, the 6th Baron Rokeby of Ar ...

, to Maud Helena Grace (née Quarmby) and Albert Edward Cornwall Prowse. His uncle,

John Prowse John Henry Prowse (16 June 1871 – 20 May 1944) was an Australian politician. Born in Adelong, New South Wales, he was educated at public schools and then at Kings College, Melbourne. He became an insurance agent and then a station owner in Wes ...

, 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 ...

. Prowse attended primary school 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 ...

and Doodlakine, and then studied at Northam High School before going on to the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. He returned to the family property at Doodlakine after graduating, and wrote on agricultural topics for the '' Daily News''. Prowse was prominent in the Wheat Growers' Union, serving on the state executive, and was on the

Kellerberrin Road Board The Shire of Kellerberrin is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about west of Merredin and about east of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of ...

from 1945 to 1949. He moved to Darkan in 1949.

Politics and later life

Prowse was state president of the Country Party from 1957 to 1962, and also served on the federal council and federal executive. He won first spot on the party's senate ticket for the 1961 federal election, and was elected to a term beginning in July 1962. In the senate, Prowse had wide-ranging interests. He was a leading campaigner for the "no" vote on the 1967 referendum, which sought to amend the constitution to increase the power of the House of Representatives in

joint sitting A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose. Most often it refers to when both houses of a bicame ...

s. He was also one of the few opponents of

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

in the Country Party. Prowse was elected chairman of committees in 1971, but resigned from parliament in 1973 due to ill health. He retired to Albany, and managed a cattle stud at Elleker. Prowse died in Darkan in June 1977, aged 72. He had married Lucy Cherry in 1933, with whom he had six children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prowse, Edgar 1905 births 1977 deaths Australian farmers National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia Members of the Australian Senate People from the Wheatbelt (Western Australia) University of Western Australia alumni Western Australian local councillors 20th-century Australian politicians

Early life

Politics and later life

See also

References