Ronald Edward Bertram (22 June 1924 – 17 November 2014) was an Australian lawyer and 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 1968 to 1989. He briefly served as a minister in the government of

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 ...

. Bertram was born in

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 ...

to Maude (née Bennett) and Walter Bertram. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in June 1943, and saw service in New Guinea during the war. Bertram was discharged from the army in 1946, and subsequently worked as an accountant. He later studied law part-time, and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1954, allowing him to practise as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

. Bertram first ran for parliament at the 1965 state election. He contested the newly created North Metropolitan Province, but was defeated by

Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith ( ga, Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that prod ...

of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

.Ronald Edward Bertram
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 29 May 2016. Bertram eventually entered parliament at the 1968 state election, replacing the retiring

Bill Hegney William Hegney (11 January 1896 – 13 October 1982) was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1939 to 1968. He served as a minister in the government of Albert Hawke. Heg ...

in the seat of Mount Hawthorn. Bertram was re-elected at the 1971 state election, which saw a Labor victory, and was then appointed

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and Minister for Railways in the new ministry formed by John Tonkin. However, he resigned from cabinet after just under seven months in office, due to ill health. He was the shortest-serving state attorney-general since

Frederick Moorhead Frederick William Moorhead KC (1863 – 27 November 1902) was an Australian barrister, politician, and judge. He was born in Ireland and emigrated to Western Australia in 1889. Moorhead was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Austr ...

in 1901.Attorneys General of Western Australia
– Parliamentary Library of Western Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2016. Following Labor's defeat at the 1974 state election, Bertram was included in Labor's Tonkin shadow cabinet. He remained a member until 1980, serving under three leaders of the opposition (John Tonkin,

Colin Jamieson Colin John Jamieson, AO JP (26 May 1923 – 27 March 1990), was a politician in Western Australia. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1953 until 1986, as the Minister for Wo ...

, and Ron Davies). At the 1983 election, the seat of Mount Hawthorn was abolished, and Bertram successfully transferred to the seat of Balcatta, which he held until his retirement at the 1989 election. He died in Perth in November 2014, aged 90.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertram, Ron 1924 births 2014 deaths Attorneys-General of Western Australia Australian Army soldiers Australian barristers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian Army personnel of World War II Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Perth, Western Australia