Robert Kirkham Whately (27 August 1895 – 17 March 1956) was an Australian politician.

Personal life and education

Whately was born in Newtown in Sydney to company director Robert Kirkham Whately and Mary Ann Amelia Bagley. He attended Sydney Boys' High School, 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 no ...

( MA), Sydney University ( Dip Ed) and

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

in Cleveland, Ohio. In November 1921 he married Leura Jean Jarvis, and they had two children. He became a psychologist, and in 1932 was founding director of the Victorian Vocational and Child Guidance Centre.

Political career

In 1945 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 presidin ...

as the

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 ...

member for Camberwell. He was party whip from 1947 to 1948 and parliamentary secretary from 1948 to 1950, during which time he introduced secret ballots for leadership elections. He was Minister of

Forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, State Development and Decentralisation from 1955 to 1956 and in February 1956 was appointed Minister of Immigration, but the following month he was killed in a car accident near Yass.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whately, Robert 1895 births 1956 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 20th-century Australian politicians Ministers for Forests (Victoria) Ministers of Immigration (Victoria)