John Mervin Toms (23 January 1909 – 8 October 1971) was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly 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 1956 to 1971. He was appointed

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by Speaker (politics), presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled Legislative Assembly, legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures ...

in July 1971, but served only a few months before dying in office.

Early life

Toms was born in

Boulder, Western Australia Boulder is a suburb in the Western Australian Goldfields, east of Perth and bordering onto the city of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields region. The Boulder (horse) Races were a significant event in early twentieth century goldfields regio ...

, to Lucy (née Kent) and John Pryor Toms. He moved to

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 is ...

during his childhood, attending Midland High School. Toms left school at the age of 15, initially working as a labourer and later as a carpenter and joiner. He married Winifred Ann Jenkinson in 1933, with whom he had three children. Toms was elected to the

Bayswater Road Board The City of Bayswater is a local government area in the Western Australian capital city of Perth, about northeast of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of and has a population of 69,283 as at the 2021 Census. The Ci ...

in April 1944, and would serve on the council until May 1971, including as

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

from 1951 to 1956. He was recognised as an Honourary Freeman of the City in December 1971 due to his service on the board, and has the Mertome Village aged care complex named after him. He was also prominent in the

Building Workers' Industrial Union The Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia was an Australian trade union covering workers in the construction industry. Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners of Australia It was originally established as the Australian District ...

, a forerunner of the

CFMEU The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU, though most commonly still referred to as CFMEU) is Australia's main trade union in construction, forestry, maritime, mining, energy, textile, clothing and footwear producti ...

.John Mervin Toms
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 10 May 2016.

Politics

Toms entered parliament at the 1956 state election, easily winning the seat of Maylands. At the 1962 election, he transferred to the new seat of

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

. When Bayswater was abolished at the 1968 election, he switched seats for a second time, winning the newly created seat of Ascot. Toms was subsequently appointed deputy chairman of committees in the Legislative Assembly. Following Labor's victory at the 1971 election, Toms was elected to the speakership. His elevation meant that the government and opposition had equal numbers on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, so he made frequent use of his

casting vote A casting vote is a vote that someone may exercise to resolve a tied vote in a deliberative body. A casting vote is typically by the presiding officer of a council, legislative body, committee, etc., and may only be exercised to break a deadlock ...

as speaker. During a sitting in October 1971, Toms collapsed and was rushed to

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) is a teaching hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia. Opened in 1958 as the Perth Chest Hospital and later named in honour of Sir Charles Gairdner, governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, it is pa ...

, where he died. Because his death reduced Labor to a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

, the premier,

John Tonkin John Trezise Tonkin AC (2 February 1902 – 20 October 1995), popularly known as "Honest John", was an Australian politician. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for a record 44 ...

, advised the governor, Sir

Douglas Kendrew Major General Sir Douglas Anthony Kendrew, (22 July 1910 – 28 February 1989), often known as Joe Kendrew especially during his rugby career, was an officer of the British Army who served in the Second World War and the Korean War, an internat ...

, to

prorogue Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the period ...

parliament until the necessary by-election had been held (which Labor won).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toms, Merv 1909 births 1971 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly People from Boulder, Western Australia Speakers of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly 20th-century Australian politicians Western Australian local councillors

Early life

Politics

See also

References