Joe Abbott (Australian Politician)
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Joseph Palmer Abbott (18 October 1891 – 7 May 1965) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Country Party and served in 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 ...
from 1940 to 1949, representing the
Division of New England The Division of New England is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. History The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is nam ...
. During World War II he briefly held ministerial office as Minister for Home Security and assistant minister to the defence and army ministers.


Early life and career

Abbott was born in
North Sydney, New South Wales North Sydney is a suburb and major commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governme ...
, son of
Joseph Palmer Abbott Sir Joseph Palmer Abbott, (29 September 184215 September 1901) was an Australian politician, pastoralist and solicitor. Early life Joseph Palmer Abbott was born on 29 September 1842 at Muswellbrook, New South Wales, to John Kingsmill Abbo ...
and his second wife Edith (), and educated at
The Armidale School , motto_translation = Without God, Nothing , location = Armidale, New England Tablelands, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia New ...
and the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1913. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1915 and served at
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
. He was invalidated to England in October 1915 where he was discharged from the AIF so that he could join the
Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of t ...
of the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in December 1915. In September 1918, he was awarded a
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...
on the Western Front for putting out a fire. After the
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, he became a farmer near Wingen and in 1924, he married Katherine Bliss Wilkinson. He became president of the Graziers' Association of New South Wales in 1935 and was president of the Graziers' Federal Council of Australia in 1937 and 1938.


Political career

Abbott was elected as a Country Party member for 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 ...
seat of
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
in the 1940 election. He was appointed to the new portfolio of
Home Security Home security includes both the security hardware placed on a property and individuals' personal security practices. Security hardware includes doors, locks, alarm systems, lighting, motion detectors, and security camera systems. Personal sec ...
in the Menzies ministry in June 1941 and was responsible for civil defence until the fall of the Fadden government in November 1941. In 1942 he was appointed chairman of the Administrative Planning Committee, which was responsible for organising supplies for the United States forces in Australia during World War II. He retired from parliament prior to the 1949 election.


Personal life

Abbott was appointed an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(OBE) in 1951. He died in the Sydney suburb of
Camperdown, New South Wales Camperdown is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Camperdown is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Inner West region. Camperdown lies across the ...
and was survived by his wife and a son. One of his half-brothers, Mac, was the member for
Upper Hunter The Upper Hunter Shire is a local government area in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in May 2004 from the Scone Shire and parts of Murrurundi and Merriwa shires. The Mayor of the Upper Hunter Shir ...
in 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 ...
from 1913 to 1918 and a Senator from 1935 to 1941, while the other John Henry was a novelist and poet.


References

  {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Joseph Palmer 1891 births 1965 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for New England Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of Australia Australian recipients of the Military Cross Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian politicians Australian military personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War I Royal Field Artillery officers Military personnel from Sydney Australian Army soldiers