Harry Owen White (11 February 1898 – 2 October 1946) was an Australian politician. He was a

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

from 1932 to 1943, representing the electorate of Bulla and Dalhousie. White was born in

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

, and attended Ascot Vale State School. He served in the armed forces in World War I, initially with the Royal Australian Artillery at Queenscliff, and later in France with the siege battalion, where he transferred to the Royal Air Force and Australian Flying Corps. He subsequently worked as an engineer before entering politics. White was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 1932 state election, defeating incumbent Labor MP and future federal minister

Reg Pollard Reg Pollard may refer to: * Reg Pollard (politician) Reginald Thomas Pollard (31 October 1894 – 24 August 1981) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the Victorian Legislative Assembl ...

. He was re-elected in 1935, 1937 and 1940, defeating future state MP

Charlie Mutton Charles Mutton (14 September 1890 – 13 May 1989) was an Australian politician. He was born in North Melbourne to tobacco worker Charles Mutton and Mary Ann Moloney. He attended Catholic schools and from 1903 to 1910 worked for Excelsior Ba ...

on each occasion. White served as secretary to the parliamentary United Australia Party and as party whip both in government and in opposition from 1935 until 1940. He relinquished his parliamentary roles that year due to his service in World War II, in which he was attached to an armoured division. White ultimately attained the rank of major, but had a breakdown in health in 1943, and spent some months in a military hospital. He did not contest the 1943 state election, at which his seat was won by

Reginald James Reginald Alfred John James (1 June 1893 – 27 September 1944) was an Australian politician. He was a Country Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1943 to 1944, representing the electorate of Bulla and Dalhousie. James was ...

of the rival conservative Country Party. White died in October 1946, and was cremated at Fawkner Crematorium.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Harry Owen 1898 births 1946 deaths United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Melbourne Australian military personnel of World War I 20th-century Australian politicians