Alan Robert Lindsay Gordon (19 January 1917 – 16 June 2011) was an Australian politician. He was the

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

member for Murrumbidgee 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 1970 to 1984. He was Minister for Conservation and Water Resources from 1976 to 1981 (with Conservation replaced by Lands and Forests in 1980), Minister for Local Government and Lands from 1981 to 1984, and Minister for Lands and Ports for a few months in 1984. Gordon was born in Cessnock to baker David Irvine Gordon and Mary Mildred Cleary. He was educated at government schools in Cessnock and after graduating was apprenticed to a pharmacy. He attended 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 ...

, graduating in 1945. On 6 November 1943 he married Valerie Merle Webber, with whom he had five children. He subsequently owned a pharmacy, and also a trotting stud near Leeton. A

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, he joined the Labor Party in 1962. In 1965, he was elected to

Leeton Shire Council Leeton Shire is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River and falls within the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. The Shire includes the town of Leeton and ...

, where he served until 1970 (including a year as President, 1969–1970). When

Al Grassby Albert Jaime Grassby, AM (12 July 192623 April 2005) was an Australian politician who served as Minister for Immigration in the Labor Whitlam Government. He completed reforms in immigration and human rights, and is often known as the father o ...

member for Murrumbidgee, resigned in 1969 to contest the federal seat of

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

, Gordon was selected as the Labor candidate for the resulting by-election, which took place early in 1970. He easily defeated his

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and Country Party opponents. In 1976, he was appointed to the ministry, holding the Conservation and Water Resources portfolios. He briefly served as Acting Minister for Health in 1977, for Local Government in 1978 and for Corrective Services in 1979. In 1980 the Conservation portfolio was split into Lands and Forests, both of which were retained by Gordon. In 1981 his Forests and Water Resources portfolios were exchanged for Local Government, which in turn was exchanged for Ports in 1984. Gordon retired in 1984; his seat was won by National Party candidate Adrian Cruickshank in his absence. Gordon died at his

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

home on 16 June 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Lin 1917 births 2011 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales People from Cessnock, New South Wales