Sir Percy Thomas Byrnes (28 January 1893 – 5 March 1973) was an Australian politician. He was born at Eidsvold in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to water bailiff Thomas Byrnes and Annie Louisa James. He attended the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

, and served in the AIF during

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 ...

. On 6 June 1918 he married Dorothy Elizabeth Judd, with whom he had four children. After the war he became an orchardist at

Nyah West Nyah West is a town in Victoria (Australia) near the Murray River, the border with New South Wales. It is near the Murray Valley Highway (Nyah West is on the railway line, Nyah is on the highway), north-west of Melbourne and north-west of Swan ...

and then at Woorinen. He was active in the Country Party, and from 1935 to 1942 served on Swan Hill Shire Council, including a term as president (1939–40). In 1942 he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

for North Western Province. He was Assistant Minister of Lands and Water Supply from 1947 to 1948 and Minister of Public Works from 1950 to 1952; he also led the Country Party in the Council from 1949 to 1969. Byrnes was knighted in 1964, and resigned from parliament in 1969. He died at

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peopl ...

in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrnes, Percy 1893 births 1973 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Australian Knights Bachelor 20th-century Australian politicians