John Hamilton "Jack" Simpson (8 February 1929 – 19 May 2015) is a former Australian politician. He was born in

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

to furniture retailer William Simpson and his wife Helen. He attended state schools and worked as a

rouseabout Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who handled materials ...

at shearing sheds from 1944 to 1947 and then as a French polisher from 1948 to 1955. From 1955 to 1976 he managed the family furniture business at

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Moonee Ponds recorded a population of 16,224 at the 2 ...

. He married Joyce Mavis Laurence on 22 February 1958; they had four daughters. He also had a career in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

, playing for

from 1949 to 1951. He had joined the Labor Party in 1961, and in 1976 he was elected to 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 presidin ...

for Niddrie. In 1977 he became Shadow Minister for Public Works, moving to Police and Emergency Services in 1979. When Labor won government in 1982 he became Minister for Public Works and for Property and Services, exchanging Public Works for Labour and Industry in 1983. He stepped down from the front bench in 1985 and retired in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Jack 1929 births 2015 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Essendon Football Club players Australian sportsperson-politicians Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Ministers for Public Works (Victoria) Ministers for Labour (Victoria)