Paul Jerome Remigius Hilton (1 October 1899 – 18 August 1965) was an Australian politician, and a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

from 1935 until 1963 representing the seat of Carnarvon, and a minister in both the

Hanlon Hanlon is a surname often associated with, but not necessarily tied to, the O'Hanlon Sept. The name may denote: * Alf Hanlon (1866–1944), New Zealand lawyer * Darren Hanlon, Australian folk musician * George Hanlon, Australian horse trainer ...

and Gair Ministries.

Biography

Hilton was born to Richard Hilton, a school teacher, and his wife Agnes (née Quirke). He was educated at the state school in

Allora Allora is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Allora had a population of 1,223 people. Geography Allora is on the Darling Downs in south-eastern Queensland, Australia, by ro ...

and in 1915 got a job as a pay clerk for

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

ways, moving to

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

and ultimately

Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Stanthorpe had a population of 5,406 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stanthorpe lies on the New ...

by 1921. He served as an NCO in the militia but was rejected for overseas service for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1922, he married Esther Mary Clifford in the town of Gatton; they were to have two sons and two daughters. He became involved with many public bodies in Stanthorpe at this time. Hilton first ran for the seat of Carnarvon (which was centred on Stanthorpe) at the 1932 election before winning it at the 1935 election. He became a supporter of the

Industrial Groups The Industrial Groups were groups formed by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the late 1940s, to replace Communist Party influence in the trade unions with groups controlled by B. A. Santamaria's "Movement" which had infiltrated the ALP in 1944 ...

and the Catholic Social Studies Movement organised by

B. A. Santamaria Bartholomew Augustine Santamaria, usually known as B. A. Santamaria (14 August 1915 – 25 February 1998), was an Australian Roman Catholic anti-Communist political activist and journalist. He was a guiding influence in the founding of the Dem ...

, as well as being a member of the

Order of St. Francis , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

. He also supported the

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

and was the organiser of the Queensland Cancer Research Fund. On 10 May 1950 he was appointed to the Hanlon Ministry, serving as Secretary for Public Works, Housing and Local Government. The portfolio of Local Government was abolished on 1 May 1952, and he otherwise served in these roles until the 1956 election. He then became Secretary of Lands and Irrigation, relinquishing his old portfolios to

Colin McCathie Colin George McCathie (9 May 1910 – 1 September 1986) was an accountant and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Biography McCathie was born in Gympie, Queensland, to parents George Critchley McCathie and his wife Isabella Falcone ...

. On 26 April 1957, Hilton along with

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Vince Gair Vincent Clair Gair (25 February 190111 November 1980) was an Australian politician. He served as Premier of Queensland from 1952 until 1957, when his stormy relations with the trade union movement saw him expelled from the Labor Party. He was e ...

and most of the rest of the Ministry were expelled from the Australian Labor Party, and joined the new

Queensland Labor Party The Queensland Labor Party (QLP) was a political party of Queensland, Australia formed in 1957 by a breakaway group of the then ruling Labor Party Government after the expulsion of Premier Vince Gair. In 1962 the party became the Queensland se ...

with which they contested the 1957 election. Hilton won under this banner at the 1957 and 1960 elections, and led the QLP for his final term before losing to

Henry McKechnie Henry Arthur McKechnie (14 March 1915 – 2 January 1984) was a wheat grower, and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early days McKechnie was born in Barraba, New South Wales, to parents William John McKechnie, and his wife Eileen ...

of the Country Party at the 1963 election. He retired to Esther Street,

Ekibin Tarragindi is a southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is represented through the Holland Park Ward, Holland Park and Moorooka Ward councillors on the Brisbane City Council. At the ...

(part of modern-day

Tarragindi Tarragindi is a southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is represented through the Holland Park Ward, Holland Park and Moorooka Ward councillors on the Brisbane City Council. At the ...

) in Brisbane's inner southern suburbs, and died there on 18 August 1965. He was accorded a

State funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

and as a

catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

buried in

Nudgee Cemetery Nudgee Cemetery & Crematorium is a large Roman Catholic cemetery at 493 St Vincents Road, Nudgee, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The cemetery opened in 1867 and is still operating. Over 31,000 people are buried there. Services The cemetery ...

References

* Waterson, D.B. ''Biographical register of the Queensland Parliament, 1930-1980'' Canberra: ANU Press (1982) *
Former Members
(Queensland Parliament) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hilton, Paul 1899 births 1965 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Queensland Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland People from Queensland Burials at Nudgee Cemetery Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians