Justin Hilary O'Byrne, AO (1 June 1912 – 10 November 1993) was an Australian politician who served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

from 1947 to 1981, representing the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

(ALP). He was

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

from 1974 to 1975, including for the duration of the 1975 constitutional crisis that resulted in the dismissal of the

Whitlam government The Whitlam government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party. The government commenced when Labor defeated the McMahon government at the 1972 Australian federal elect ...

Early life

O'Byrne was born on 1 June 1912 in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...

. He was the seventh of ten children born to Mary Elizabeth (née Madden) and Patrick Augustus O'Byrne. His father, a wine and spirit merchant, was the son of Irish immigrants. O'Byrne grew up in the suburb of Trevallyn. His parents were devout Catholics and he received his schooling at St Patrick's College, Launceston. He left school at the age of 15 and found work at a textile factory. In 1929 he began working as a laboratory assistant at the Rapson Tyre & Rubber Company while studying chemistry and accounting part-time at Launceston Technical College. In 1930, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, O'Byrne travelled to Queensland from Melbourne on foot where he spent ten years working a variety of jobs including drover, fencer, bullock driver, tank sinker and station overseer. He joined the

Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoralism, pastoral and mining industries in the late 1880s and it currently has approximately 80,000 ...

in 1935 and became a committed socialist, influenced by the writings of G. D. H. Cole,

Harold Laski Harold Joseph Laski (30 June 1893 – 24 March 1950) was an English political theorist and economist. He was active in politics and served as the chairman of the British Labour Party from 1945 to 1946 and was a professor at the London School of ...

, and

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

Military service

In 1940 he enlisted in the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

as a pilot, becoming a member of the No. 452 Squadron RAAF which operated with No. 11 Group RAF during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

. He was shot down over

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1941 and was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

in the

Stalag Luft III Stalag Luft III (; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel. The camp was established in March 1942 near th ...

prison camp in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

for three years and nine months.

Politics

Following the war, O'Byrne stood for the Labor Party in Tasmania in the 1946 federal election, and was elected. His term as Senator began on 1 July 1947, and from that point, he remained in the Senate representing Tasmania until 30 June 1981.

President of the Senate

Following the

double dissolution A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks in the bicameral Parliament of Australia between the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). A double dissolutio ...

of 11 April 1974 and subsequent federal election, O'Byrne was elected

on 9 July 1974. He held this office until the dismissal of the Whitlam government on 11 November 1975. Senator Robert Ray said of O'Byrne's time as President of the Senate "Justin presided over the Senate during one of the most tumultuous and still controversial periods in Australian politics. The fact that there was not one dissent from his rulings, nor any vote of no confidence, is a testament to his performance and the high regard in which he was held by those on both sides of the chamber." O'Byrne retired from the Senate at the 1980 election, his term ending on 30 June 1981. His term of 34 years is the longest by a Tasmanian in federal parliament, the third-longest Senate term after

George Pearce Sir George Foster Pearce KCVO (14 January 1870 – 24 June 1952) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1901 to 1938. He began his career in the Labor Party but later joined the National Labor Party, ...

and Walter Cooper, and the second-longest continuous Senate term after Pearce. From 1968 to 1971 he was a joint " Father of the Senate", and from 1971 until his retirement he alone held this title.

Personal life

On 26 January 1984, O'Byrne was made an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

"for service to politics and government". O'Byrne died on 10 November 1993, and a state funeral was held at the Church of the Apostles in Launceston. He was the last surviving member of the 1947-1950 Senate. He was a distant cousin of Michelle and

David O'Byrne David O'Byrne (born 17 March 1969) is an Australian trade unionist and politician. A prominent union leader prior to entering politics and the brother of fellow politician Michelle O'Byrne, he has been an Independent member of the Tasmanian H ...

References

External links

Justin O'Byrne's speech to Senate upon his retirement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obyrne, Justin 1912 births 1993 deaths People educated at St Patrick's College, Launceston Politicians from Launceston, Tasmania Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Presidents of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania 20th-century Australian politicians Australian World War II pilots Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian prisoners of war Royal Australian Air Force officers Officers of the Order of Australia