John Carmichael Tozer (23 June 1922 – 23 April 1990) was an Australian public servant and politician who served as a

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 ...

member of the Legislative Council of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1974 to 1980, representing North Province. Tozer was born in

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 i ...

to Evaline (née Carmichael) and Hubert John Harris Tozer. He attended

Hale School Hale School is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Named after the school founded by Bishop Mathew Blagden Hale in 1858, Hale School claims to be ...

and Perth Technical College, and in 1940 was accepted as an engineering cadet with

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

. He enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

later in the year, however, and during the war served for periods with the

Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, b ...

, the 2/6th Commando Squadron, and the Parachute Training Centre. Tozer studied surveying after being discharged in 1946. He worked on Ocean Island from 1947 to 1952, as an employee of the

British Phosphate Commission The British Phosphate Commissioners (BPC) was a board of Australian, British, and New Zealand representatives who managed extraction of phosphate from Christmas Island, Nauru, and Banaba (Ocean Island) from 1920 until 1981. Nauru was a mandate te ...

.John Carmichael Tozer
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 22 January 2017. After a period working as a local government engineer, Tozer moved into administration. He held several senior public service positions in the North-West, including as assistant administrator at

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

from 1964 to 1967 and administrator at

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

from 1970 to 1972. He was then a Department of Development and Decentralisation officer from 1972 to 1974. Tozer entered parliament at the 1974 state election, defeating John Hunt of the Labor Party. He served a single six-year term before being defeated by

Peter Dowding Peter McCallum Dowding SC (born 6 October 1943) is an Australian lawyer and former politician who served as the 24th Premier of Western Australia, from 25 February 1988 until his forced resignation on 12 February 1990. He was a member of parli ...

(a future premier) at the 1980 election. Tozer retired to Perth, dying there in April 1990 (aged 67).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tozer, John 1922 births 1990 deaths Australian Army officers 20th-century Australian engineers Australian Army personnel of World War II Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Politicians from Perth, Western Australia Public servants of Western Australia