Henry Alfred Jenkins AM (24 September 1925 – 27 July 2004) was an Australian politician and medical doctor. He was a member of 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 the f ...

(ALP) and served in 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 1969 to 1985, including as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986. His son Harry Jenkins Jr. also served as Speaker.

Early life

Jenkins was born on 24 September 1925 in

Caulfield, Victoria Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Caulfield recorded a population of 5,748 at the 2021 census. It is bound ...

. He was the only surviving child of Eileen Clare (née McCormack) and Henry Alfred Jenkins; his father worked as a storeman and metal polisher. Jenkins attended state schools before completing his secondary education at

Ivanhoe Grammar School , motto_translation = Faithful even unto death . , established = 1915 , type = Independent, co-educational , denomination = Anglican , slogan = Courageous and Kind . , ...

. He subsequently studied medicine at 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 ...

, graduating

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

(MS) in 1948 and

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(MBBS) in 1952. While studying he worked part-time as a tutor and demonstrator in the university's physiology department, and as a golf caddy. He served his

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgrad ...

The Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original site ...

and later worked as a general practitioner at Thornbury and

Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...

Politics

At the

1961 Victorian state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Victoria on 15 July 1961 to elect the 66 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 17 members of the 34-member Legislative Council. MLAs were elected for three year terms and MLCs were elected ...

, Jenkins was elected as a Labor member of 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 presiding ...

for the seat of

Reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, where he served until 1969. In the Victorian Parliament he was Shadow Minister for Health. Jenkins then moved to the Federal Parliament. He was elected to the

for the

Division of Scullin The Division of Scullin is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne, including Epping, Lalor, Mill Park, South Morang, Thomastown, and Bundoora. Geography Since ...

at the 1969 election. He served as chairman of committees from August 1975 until the government's dismissal in November 1975, the shortest term on record. After the dismissal of the Whitlam government, Jenkins came under pressure to stand aside from Scullin to allow the President of the

ACTU The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...

Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...

, an entry into Parliament at the 1975 election; but he resisted this and Hawke was not to enter politics until 1980. In May 1983, on the election of the Hawke government, Jenkins was elected Speaker of the House, a position he held until his retirement in 1985. He was succeeded as member for Scullin by his son, Harry Jenkins Jr. and Harry Jr. would become Speaker in 2007–11.

Later life

After leaving politics, Jenkins was appointed Australian Ambassador to Spain, a post he held until 1988. In 1991 he was made a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

Personal life

Jenkins married Hazel "Wendy" Winter in 1951. The couple had a daughter and three sons, with Harry Jr. following his father into federal parliament and also serving as Speaker. He lived with

Kennedy's disease Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), popularly known as Kennedy's disease, is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder resulting in muscle cramps and progressive weakness due to degeneration of motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal c ...

for much of his political career and died on 27 July 2004 in

Epping, Victoria Epping is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Whittlesea local government area. Epping recorded a population of 33,489 at the 2021 census. Boundaries and ter ...

, at the age of 78.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Harry 1925 births 2004 deaths Politicians from Melbourne Members of the Order of Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Scullin Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Australian House of Representatives Ambassadors of Australia to Spain Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Victoria 20th-century Australian politicians Deaths from motor neuron disease University of Melbourne alumni Deakin University alumni 20th-century Australian medical doctors People educated at Ivanhoe Grammar School People from Caulfield, Victoria Medical doctors from Melbourne