Sir Kenneth Henry Wheeler (7 September 1912 – 10 May 1996) was an Australian politician. He was born in

Mernda Mernda is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 km north-east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. Mernda recorded a population of 23,369 at the 2021 census. Hi ...

to farmer William Henry Wheeler and Alma Nellie Bodycoat. He worked on his father's farm from the age of thirteen, and then became a retail dairyman at

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it ...

in 1934. On 24 January 1934, he married Hazel Jean Collins, with whom he had two children. In 1950, he amalgamated his business with Croft Dairies, to form Metropolitan Dairies, of which he became manager in 1959. 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, he served on Coburg City Council from 1950 to 1959 and was mayor from 1955 to 1956. In 1958, 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 presiding ...

as the member for

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 ...

. He was elected

Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly The Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria. The presiding officer of the upper house of the Parliament of Victoria, the Victorian ...

in 1973, and was knighted in 1976. Wheeler retired from politics in 1979, and died in 1996.

References

1912 births 1996 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Australian Knights Bachelor 20th-century Australian politicians People from the City of Whittlesea Politicians from Melbourne {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub