Francis Harold "Frank" Hawkins (1 June 1897 – 20 December 1971) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Parliament from 1935 until 1968 and held a number of ministerial positions in the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. He was a member of the Labor Party.

Early life and career

Hawkins was born in Tenterfield and was educated to intermediate level at De La Salle College, Armidale. He worked initially with the Postmaster General's department and then the NSW Department of Railways. He was transferred to

Newcastle Railway Station Newcastle Central Station (also known simply as Newcastle and locally as Central Station) is a major railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, around north of . It is the primary national rail station ...

in 1933. He died in Newcastle in 1971 at the age of 74, and was buried at

Sandgate Cemetery Sandgate Cemetery is a necropolis in the Hunter region near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and has been continuously operating since 1881. The cemetery caters for all religious, ethnic and cultural requirements. History Sandgate Cemete ...

following a service at Sacred Heart Cathedral,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Political career

He successfully contested the Legislative Assembly seat of Newcastle as the Lang Labor candidate in the 1935 general election. The previous member,

Peter Connolly Peter William Connolly FSA (8 May 1935 – 2 May 2012) was a British scholar of the ancient world, Greek and Roman military equipment historian, reconstructional archaeologist and illustrator. He was a regular contributor to such periodicals as ...

did not contest the seat after losing his party's pre-selection. Hawkins held ministerial roles in the New South Wales Labor Governments of premiers; James McGirr, Joseph Cahill,

Bob Heffron Robert James Heffron (10 September 189027 July 1978), also known as Bob Heffron or R. J. Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch), Labor Party Premier of New So ...

and Jack Renshaw. He was a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

from 1950 until 1952, Secretary for Lands from 1952 until 1956 and Minister for Child Welfare and Social Welfare from 1956 until the defeat of the Renshaw government at the 1 May 1965 general election.

References

1897 births 1971 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians Public servants of New South Wales {{Australia-Labor-NewSouthWales-MP-stub