Arthur Gordon Dean (13 June 1942 – 27 July 2023) was an Australian politician, solicitor and magistrate. He was a

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

member of 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 ...

from 1977 to 1983, representing the electorate of

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

Early life

Dean was born in Mackay,

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_ ...

, raised in the small town of

Maroon Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown". According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...

and educated in Mount Isa and Townsville. In 1960, he began as an articled clerk for his grandfather's Townsville law firm of Dean Gillman & Thompson, was admitted as a solicitor in 1965, and became a partner of the firm the same year, remaining with them until his election to parliament. Dean also worked as a television newsreader for the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

in Townsville from 1964 to 1967. He was involved with

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

as the honorary solicitor for the student union (1966–87), chairman of the student union council (1969–72) and a member of the university council (1970–73), and held other community roles as president of the Eisteddfod Council of North Queensland and a board member for the Townsville Hospitals Board and the John Flynn College.

Political career

Dean was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1977 federal election as the Liberal member for the marginal seat of

. He was re-elected in 1980, but fearing electoral defeat, backed a failed effort in 1982 to oust

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Malcolm Fraser and replace him with rival Andrew Peacock. He was nonetheless defeated at the 1983 federal election by the Labor candidate Ted Lindsay.

Later career

Dean returned to legal practice after his 1983 defeat, becoming a partner in the Townsville firm of Nehmer Davenport Dean. He moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

for family reasons in 1987, working as an associate for James Byrne & Associates and then Ray Rinaudo. He also returned to broadcasting as a presenter on community radio station

4MBS 4MBS Classic FM is an Australian community radio station which broadcasts classical music from Brisbane at a frequency of 103.7 MHz, as well as on digital radio and online. Operations Its operations are conducted by about 300 volunteers a ...

. Dean was appointed to the

Magistrates Court of Queensland The Magistrates Court of Queensland is the lowest court in the court hierarchy of Queensland, Australia. All criminal proceedings in Queensland begin in the Magistrates Court, with minor offences being dealt with summarily, and more serious o ...

on 23 June 1997 and retired on 12 June 2007 when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, having served mostly in

with a stint in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

between 1999 and 2002. He continued as a magistrate until 2007.

Death

Dean died on 27 July 2023, at the age of 81. The Liberal National Party announced his death, stating, "Gordon Dean, former Liberal Member for Herbert from 1977 to 1983, passed away yesterday. He was a respected politician, solicitor, and magistrate. May he rest in peace."‘Simple country lad’: Former MP, magistrate dead aged 81

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Gordon 1942 births 2023 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Herbert Members of the Australian House of Representatives People from Mackay, Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians