Sir Charles William Davidson

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

(14 September 1897 – 29 November 1985) was an Australian politician. He was deputy leader of the Country Party from 1956 to 1963 and represented the party in federal parliament from 1946 to 1963. He served as Postmaster-General of Australia (1956–1963) and

Minister for the Navy Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(1956–1958) in the Menzies Government.

Early life

Davidson was born on 14 September 1897 in Toowong, Queensland. He was the third child of Marion (née Perry) and Alexander Black Davidson. His mother born in England and his father in Scotland. Davidson attended

Townsville Grammar School , motto_translation = Come In Good, Go Out Better , established = 1888 , type = Independent, day & boarding, IB , gender = Co-educational , denomination = Non-denomina ...

until 1914 and then found work as a stockman in

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1916 and served on the Western Front with the 42nd Battalion. He was wounded in action in September 1918 and returned to Australia.

Military service

He served in World War I. During World War II, he served in the 42nd Battalion of the Australian Army in New Guinea, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was twice mentioned in despatches and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military) in March 1945.

Political career

Davidson was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1946 federal election, defeating Frank Forde – the incumbent Australian Labor Party deputy leader and a former prime minister – in the

Division of Capricornia The Division of Capricornia is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Capricornia is a traditionally a Labor-voting electorate, having been Labor-held for 72 years of the 100 years since 1922. However, Capricornia has recently trended ...

. He received a dual endorsement from the Country Party and the Liberal Party (in the form of the

Queensland People's Party The Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division), branded as Liberal Queensland, was the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia until 2008. It was initially formed in October 1943 as the Queensland People's Party (QPP), whic ...

). He joined the parliamentary Country Party after his election. In March 1947, Davidson was one of several MPs to boycott the swearing-in of William McKell as

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.1949 election, following a redistribution, he was elected the member for the new seat of Dawson. He was Postmaster-General from 1956 to 1963 and

from 1956 to 1958. In 1958 he was elected deputy leader of the Country Party succeeding John McEwen who had become leader. He retired at the 1963 election. Davidson was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1964. He died in 1985 and was survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Charles William 1897 births 1985 deaths Australian colonels Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Capricornia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Dawson Members of the Cabinet of Australia National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia 20th-century Australian politicians