Sir John Frederick Rossiter KBE (17 December 1913 – 18 January 1988) was an Australian politician. Born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to public servant James Alexander Rossiter and Sarah (née Nicholas) Rossiter, he attended Middle Park State School,

Melbourne High School Melbourne High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1905, the school caters for boys from Year 9 t ...

and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, studying for his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

. He then went to Melbourne Teachers' College and taught from 1937 to 1940 before enlisting in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, in which he served from 1940 to 1946. On 1 March 1939 he married Joan Stewart, with whom he had three children. From 1946 to 1955 he was a senior lecturer in English at the

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

. A member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, he contested a by-election in Brunswick in 1949, and then 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 presiding ...

in 1955 as the member for

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He served as Assistant Minister for Education (1964–70), Minister for Immigration (1965–67), Minister for Labour and Industry (1967–70), Minister for Health (1970–73) and Chief Secretary (1973–76) before his retirement in 1976. From 1976 to 1979 he served in London as Agent-General for Victoria. Rossiter was made a

Knight Commander 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 ...

in 1978 and in 1980 moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. His wife had died in 1979, and on 7 November 1980 he married Heather Steer. Rossiter died in 1988. Lady Susan Renouf was one of his three children.

References

1913 births 1988 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods 20th-century Australian politicians Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Agents-General for Victoria {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub