Arthur Samuel Drakeford (26 April 1878 – 9 June 1957) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from 1934 to 1955, representing the Labor Party. He served as Minister for Air and Minister for Civil Aviation from 1941 to 1949, and during World War II was the minister responsible for the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

. He was also responsible for the establishment of the domestic carrier

Trans Australia Airlines Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Brand ...

and for the nationalisation of

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

Early life

Drakeford was born in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy and his first job was cleaning railway engines at

Benalla Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the the population was 10,822. It is the administrative cent ...

. In May 1902 he married Ellen Tyrie, but she died in 1906. In 1903 he became secretary of the Benalla branch of the Locomotive Engine Drivers' and Firemen's Association (LEDFA) and joined the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

. In 1908, he moved to Melbourne as an engine driver. In 1911 he married Ellen Unger. He was vice-president of the LEDFA from 1914 to 1915, its president from 1916 to 1917 and general secretary from 1918. In 1920 he became the first federal secretary of the new Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen and from 1929 to 1948 was its national president. In 1927 he became senior vice-president of the Australasian Council of Trade Unions on its foundation in 1927. He became president of the Labor Party's Victorian central executive in 1929.

Political career

Drakeford was elected as the member for 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 ...

seat of

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

in 1927, but was defeated in 1932, partly as a result of his opposition to the fiscally conservative Premiers' Plan drawn up in response to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In the 1934 federal election, he was elected as the member for Maribyrnong and held it until the 1955 election. Following the coming to power of the Curtin government in October 1941, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he became Minister for the Air and Minister for Civil Aviation and held both positions until Labor's defeat at the 1949 election. He concentrated on obtaining resources for the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and attempting to sort out its leadership problems, rather than intervening in military strategy. He was a member of War Cabinet from 1941 to 1946, and Minister for the Navy from August to November 1946, on the resignation of

Norman Makin Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Nor ...

to become Ambassador to the United States. After the war, Drakeford concentrated on the establishment of a state-owned airline. He set up the Australian National Airlines Commission, which established

in 1946. Although Labor had intended it to be a monopoly, that was invalidated by the High Court under

section 51(i) of the Australian Constitution Section 51(i) of the Australian Constitution enables the Parliament of Australia to make laws about: :Trade and commerce with other countries, and among the States; Legislative powers of the Parliament. The meaning of trade and commerce is clari ...

, which guarantees free trade between the states. In 1947, he was in charge of the purchase of Qantas Empire Airways Ltd from

Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passengers ...

and its establishment as Australia's

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hi ...

. In 1947, he became president of the first assembly of the permanent body of the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, Canada. Drakeford lost his seat at the 1955 election, as a result of the 1954 Labor Party split which led to the creation of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). While he had a large lead on the first count, on the second count, DLP preferences flowed overwhelmingly to Liberal challenger Philip Stokes, allowing Stokes to win by only 114 votes. Drakeford died in 1957 at his home in the Melbourne suburb of

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Moonee Ponds recorded a population of 16,224 at the 2 ...

, survived by his wife and their four daughters. The son of his first marriage, Arthur Drakeford Jr. represented the Legislative Assembly seat of

from 1945 to 1947 and Pascoe Vale from 1955 to 1958.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drakeford, Arthur Samuel Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Maribyrnong Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of Australia Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 1878 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians People from Fitzroy, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne