Laurie John Ferguson (4 September 1924 – 17 September 2002) was an Australian politician and member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for the

Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) The Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch), also known as NSW Labor, is the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party. The parliamentary leader is elected from and by the members of the party caucus, comprising all party mem ...

. He served in

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...

's state government as the Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1984.

Early life

Born in the inner Sydney suburb of Zetland, Ferguson was educated at Granville Convent and Marist Brothers College, Parramatta, both Catholic schools. After leaving school he was variously a farmhand, textile worker, builder's labourer and bricklayer and was an organiser for the Building Workers' Industrial Union. From 1942 to 1946 he served in the Second Australian Imperial Force. Following his demobilisation, he became active in municipal, and then state, politics. He was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

on Parramatta Council from 1954 to 1959, and Deputy Mayor in 1959. He married Mary Ellen Bett; the couple had three sons ( Laurie,

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

and Andrew) and two daughters.

Political career

Ferguson was the member for Merrylands from March 1959 to 1962 and 1968 to 5 March 1984. From 1962 to 1968, he was member for Fairfield. A member of the Labor Party's left wing, he was best known as

Deputy Premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

and Minister for Public Works and Minister for Ports, from May 1976 until February 1984, in the cabinet headed by Neville Wran. He was also Minister for Housing from May 1976 to February 1977.

Death

Ferguson died in Sydney on , from mesothelioma according to his son Andrew.

Honours

Ferguson was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for his service to government and to the NSW parliament in the Australia Day honours in 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Laurie John 1924 births 2002 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Australian Army personnel of World War II Deputy Premiers of New South Wales Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Labor Left politicians Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Officers of the Order of Australia Politicians from Sydney 20th-century Australian politicians Deaths from mesothelioma