Herbert Ernst Graham (6 April 1911 – 17 March 1982) was an Australian politician.

Biography

Graham was born in

Narrogin, Western Australia Narrogin is a large town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, southeast of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Pingelly and Wagin. In the age of steam engines, Narrogin was one of the largest railway operation hubs in th ...

on 6 April 1911 to parents from

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. Graham attended school in Narrogin and Northam. His father, farmer William Graham, was a candidate for the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

in the 1912 Legislative Council election. He later unsuccessfully stood for the

Australian Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives (Australia), House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter ...

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

, finishing with only 2% of the Western Australian vote. His nephew,

Larry Graham Larry Graham Jr. (born August 14, 1946) is an American bassist and baritone singer, both with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. In 1980, he released the single "O ...

later represented the Labor Party in the

Western Australian Parliament The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliam ...

from 1989.

Working life

In 1928, Graham joined the Western Australian Government Department of Lands and Surveys as a cadet draftsman. In the mid-1930s, he joined the Department of Forests.

Public life

Early politics

After joining the Australian Labor Party in 1929 he soon became heavily involved in politics. By 1933 he was a member of the ALP state executive. In

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

he was an unsuccessful candidate for 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 ...

seat of

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 ...

. In 1940 he was a candidate for the

Senate 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 ...

though he only garnered 2% of the Western Australian vote, the same percentage as his father in 1919.

Entry to Parliament

In 1943 Graham was elected to the seat of East Perth in a by-election caused by the resignation of Tom Hughes. With the election of the Hawke Labor government in 1953 Graham became a Cabinet minister with responsibilities for the portfolios of housing and forests. As housing minister Graham was responsible for an increase in the number of state-owned residential properties. An apartment complex, ''Graham Flats'' in West Perth, built while he was housing minister, was named in his honour. In 1957 Graham took on responsibility for transport, presiding over the implementation of an integrated bus system. Between 1959 and 1971 Graham served the ALP in opposition, rising to deputy opposition leader in 1966. When the

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...

government took power in 1971 Graham became Deputy Premier. He took on responsibility for town planning between 1971 and 1973. In 1973 after a series of disagreements with Tonkin, Graham resigned from Parliament. In the by-election that followed, Brian Burke was elected by thirty votes.

Civic life

After leaving Parliament Graham was appointed chairman of the state Licensing Court. A fluent Italian-speaker, Graham was involved in the Western Australia Italian Club, becoming a life member of the club. He was honoured by the Italian government with an

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

. He was a patron of the

East Perth Football Club The East Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Royals, is an Australian rules football club based in Leederville, Western Australia, current playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Formed in 1902 as the Union Football Club, the club ...

and was a life member.

Death

Graham died on 17 March 1982 in

Stirling, Western Australia Stirling is a suburb of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, about 10 km north of Perth's central business district (CBD) along the Mitchell Freeway. Its local government area is the City of Stirling, whose council offices and ad ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Herb 1911 births 1982 deaths Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Deputy Premiers of Western Australia Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic People from Narrogin, Western Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians