Rt Hon John Curtin
14th Prime Minister of Australia Elections: 1937, 1940, 1943
In office 7 October 1941 – 5 July 1945
Preceded by	Arthur Fadden
Succeeded by	Frank Forde
Constituency	Fremantle (Western Australia)
Born	8 January 1885(1885-01-08) Creswick, Victoria, Australia
Died	5 July 1945 (aged 60) Canberra, ACT
Political party	Labor

John Joseph Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945), Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in World War II. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG (13 April 1894&ndash21 April 1973 Australian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Australia, born in Ingham Queensland Francis Michael Forde (18 July 1890 &ndash 28 January 1983 was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. The Division of Fremantle is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including He is widely regarded as one of the country's greatest Prime Ministers. ^[1] General Douglas MacArthur said that Curtin was "one of the greatest of the wartime statesmen". General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. ^[2] His Prime Ministerial predecessor, Arthur Fadden of the Country Party wrote: "I do not care who knows it but in my opinion there was no greater figure in Australian public life in my lifetime than Curtin. Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG (13 April 1894&ndash21 April 1973 Australian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Australia, born in Ingham Queensland The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. "^[3]

Militant youth

John Curtin in 1908

Curtin was born in Creswick in central Victoria. Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in (His name is sometimes shown as "John Joseph Ambrose Curtin". He chose the name "Ambrose" as a Catholic confirmation name at around age 14, but this was never part of his legal name. As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described He left the Catholic faith as a young man, and also dropped the "Joseph" from his name. )

His father was a police officer of Irish descent. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate He had some primary education, but by the age of twelve he was working in a factory in Melbourne. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 He soon became active in both the Australian Labor Party and the Victorian Socialist Party, a Marxist group. The Victorian Socialist Party (VSP was a Socialist political party in Victoria, Australia in the early 20th century Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. He wrote for radical and socialist newspapers as "Jack Curtin".

Brunswick Football Club during the early 1900s. The highlighted section in the bottom right-hand corner shows John Curtin

It is believed that Curtin's first bid for a public office was when he stood for the position of secretary of the Brunswick Australian rules football club, and was defeated. The Brunswick Football Club were an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1897 until 1990 Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players He had earlier played for Brunswick between 1903 and 1907. ^[4]

In 1911 Curtin was employed as secretary of the Timberworkers' Union, and during World War I he was a militant anti-conscriptionist. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All He was the Labor candidate for Balaclava in 1914. The Division of Balaclava was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. He was briefly imprisoned for refusing to attend a compulsory medical examination, even though he knew he would fail the exam due to his very poor eyesight. The strain of this period led him to drink heavily, a vice which blighted his career for many years. In 1917 he married Elsie Needham, the sister of a Labor Senator.

Labor politician

John Curtin in the 1920s

Curtin moved to Perth in 1918 to become an editor for the Westralian Worker, the official trade union newspaper. He enjoyed the less pressured life of Western Australia and his political views gradually moderated. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. He joined the Australian Journalists’ Association in 1917 and was elected Western Australian President in 1920. President is a Title leaders of Organizations companies, Trade unions universities, and countries. He wore his AJA badge (membership #56) every day he was Prime Minister. He stood for Parliament several times before winning the federal seat of Fremantle in 1928. The Division of Fremantle is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. He expected to be chosen as a minister in James Scullin's Labor cabinet when it was formed after the 1929 election, but disapproval of his drinking kept him on the back bench. James Henry Scullin (18 September 1876 &ndash 28 January 1953 Australian Labor Politician and ninth Prime Minister of Australia. He lost his seat in 1931, but won it back in 1934. Results Issues The election was dominated by the Great Depression in Australia, which was at its height

When Scullin resigned as Labor leader in 1935, Curtin was unexpectedly elected (by just one vote) to succeed him. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The left wing and trade union group in the Caucus backed him because his better known rival, Frank Forde, had supported the economic policies of the Scullin administration. Francis Michael Forde (18 July 1890 &ndash 28 January 1983 was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. This group also made him promise to give up drinking, which he did. He made little progress against Joseph Lyons' government (which was returned to office at the 1937 election by a comfortable margin); but after Lyons' death in 1939, Labor's position improved. Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH (15 September 1879 &ndash 7 April 1939 Australian politician Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Curtin fell only a few seats short of winning the 1940 election.

Prime Minister 1941-45

Curtin with Douglas MacArthur preparing for war in 1942

Curtin refused Robert Menzies' offer to form a wartime "national government," partly because he feared it would split the Labor Party. General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, QC (20 December 1894 - 15 May 1978 Australian politician was the twelfth person to serve In October 1941, Arthur Coles and Alexander Wilson, the two independent MPs who had been keeping the conservatives (led first by Menzies, then by Sir Arthur Fadden) in power since 1940, switched their support to Labor, and Curtin became Prime Minister. Arthur William Coles (7 August 1892 - 14 June 1982 later Sir Arthur Coles, was a prominent Australian Businessman and Philanthropist. Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG (13 April 1894&ndash21 April 1973 Australian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Australia, born in Ingham Queensland

On 8 December, the Pacific War broke out. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between Curtin took several crucial decisions. On 26 December, the Melbourne Herald published a New Year's message from Curtin, who wrote: "[w]ithout any inhibitions of any kind, I make it clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. The Herald was a Broadsheet Newspaper published in Melbourne, Australia from 1840 to 1990 The New Year is an event that happens when a Culture celebrates the end of one Year and the beginning of the next year " This was received badly in Australia, the UK and the U. S. ;^[5] it angered Winston Churchill, and President Roosevelt said it "smacked of panic". Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 `The article nevertheless achieved the effect of drawing attention to the possibility that Australia would be invaded by Japan. In early 1942 elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN proposed an invasion of Australia.

Curtin formed a close working relationship with the Allied Supreme Commander in the South West Pacific Area, General Douglas MacArthur. South West Pacific Area (SWPA was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. Curtin realised that Australia would be ignored unless it had a strong voice in Washington, and he wanted that voice to be MacArthur's. He gave control of Australian forces to MacArthur, directing Australian commanders to treat MacArthur's orders as coming from the Australian government.

Billy Hughes, John Curtin, and Governor-General Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in Canberra, 1945

The Australian government had agreed that the Australian Army's I Corps — centred on the 6th and 7th Infantry Divisions — would be transferred from North Africa to the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, in the Netherlands East Indies. William Morris 'Billy' Hughes, CH, KC (25 September 1862 &ndash 28 October 1952 Australian politician was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia (currently Elizabeth II Queen of Australia) The Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester (Henry William Frederick Albert 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974 was a member of the British Royal Family, the third son of George V I Corps of the Australian Army was the main frontline Corps of the army during World War II. The 6th Division of the Australian Army was a unit in the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF during World War II. The 7th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, in See http//enwikipediaorg/wiki/WikipediaFootnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the tags and the template below In February, following the fall of Singapore and the loss of the 8th Division, Churchill attempted to divert I Corps to reinforce British troops in Burma, without Australian approval. The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold The 8th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, who were in turn part Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. Curtin insisted that it return to Australia, although he agreed that the main body of the 6th Division could garrison Ceylon. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island

Wife Elsie Curtin (nee Needham) standing next to John

The Japanese threat was underlined on 19 February, when Japan bombed Darwin, the first of many air raids on northern Australia. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum The Japanese air raids on Darwin, Australia, on 19 February 1942 were the largest attacks ever mounted by a foreign power against Between February 1942 and November 1943, during the Pacific War, the Australian mainland domestic airspace offshore islands and coastal shipping were

By the end of 1942, the results of the battles of the Coral Sea, Milne Bay and on the Kokoda Track had averted the perceived threat of invasion. The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4 – May 8, 1942, with most of the action occurring on May 7 and May 8, was The Battle of Milne Bay ( Operation RE) was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. This article concerns the World War II military campaign For more general information see the Kokoda Track article In August, Curtin led Labor to its greatest election victory up until that time.

Curtin also expanded the terms of the Defence Act, so that conscripted Militia soldiers could be deployed outside Australia to "such other territories in the South-west Pacific Area as the Governor-General proclaims as being territories associated with the defence of Australia". Army Reserve is a collective name for the reserve units of the Australian Army. ^[6] This met opposition from most of Curtin's old friends on the left, and from many of his colleagues, led by Arthur Calwell. Arthur Augustus Calwell (28 August 1896 - 8 July 1973 Australian politician was Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1960 to 1967 This was despite Curtin furiously opposing conscription during World War I, and again in 1939 when it was introduced by the Menzies government. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, QC (20 December 1894 - 15 May 1978 Australian politician was the twelfth person to serve

The stress of this bitter battle inside his own party took a great toll on Curtin's health, never robust even at the best of times. He suffered all his life from stress-related illnesses, and he also smoked heavily. In 1944, when he travelled to Washington and London for meetings with Roosevelt, Churchill and other Allied leaders, he already had heart disease, and in early 1945 his health deteriorated still more obviously. On 5 July 1945, at the age of 60, Curtin died: the second Australian Prime Minister to die in office within six years. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth. Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan Cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth Western Australia. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. MacArthur said of Curtin that "the preservation of Australia from invasion will be his immemorial monument".

He was briefly succeeded as Prime Minister by Frank Forde, then a week later, after a party ballot, by Ben Chifley. Francis Michael Forde (18 July 1890 &ndash 28 January 1983 was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. Joseph Benedict Chifley (22 September 1885 &ndash 13 June 1951 Australian politician and 16th Prime Minister of Australia, was one of Australia's most influential Prime Ministers

Legacy

John Curtin's grave at Karrakatta Cemetery

John Curtin statue at Fremantle Town Hall

Curtin is credited with leading the Australian Labor Party to its best federal election success in history, on a record 55. Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan Cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth Western Australia. Fremantle Town Hall is a town hall located in the portside city of Fremantle Western Australia and situated on the corner of High William and Adelaide Streets 1 percent of the primary senate vote, and a two party preferred lower house estimate of 58. The Mackerras Pendulum was devised by the Australian psephologist Malcolm Mackerras as a way of predicting the outcome of an election contested between 2 percent^[7] at the 1943 election.

His early death and the sentiments it aroused have given Curtin a unique place in Australian political history. Successive Labor leaders, particularly Bob Hawke and Kim Beazley, have sought to build on the Curtin tradition of "patriotic Laborism". Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley. Even some political conservatives pay at least formal homage to the Curtin legend.

Curtin is commemorated by Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Curtin University in Perth, John Curtin College of the Arts in Fremantle the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra and the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library. Curtin University of Technology is a University with its main campus at Bentley, southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Curtin University of Technology is a University with its main campus at Bentley, southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. John Curtin College of the Arts is a high school with student intake from the greater Fremantle area in Western Australia. Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of The John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCMSR is a major biomedical research centre in Australia based at the Australian National University, Canberra. On 14 August 2005, V-P Day, a bronze statue of Curtin was unveiled by Premier Geoff Gallop in front of Fremantle Town Hall. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Victory over Japan Day ( V-J Day, also known as Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Image Gallery Professor Geoffrey Ian Gallop AC (born 27 September 1951 is an Australian Academic and former Politician.

Popular culture

• In the 1984 mini series The Last Bastion, Curtin was portrayed by Michael Blakemore. Michael Howell Blakemore OBE (born 18 June 1928) is an Australian actor writer and Theatre director
• In the 1986 film Death of a Soldier, he was portrayed by Terence Donovan. Death of a Soldier is a 1986 Australian film based on the life of American Serial killer Eddie Leonski. Terence Donovan (born October 28 1942) also known as Terry Donovan, is an English-born Australian Actor and the father
• In the 2000 film Pozieres, he was portrayed by David Ross Paterson.
• In the 2007 film Curtin, he was portrayed by William McInnes. Curtin is a Telemovie about the wartime Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin. William McInnes (born 10 September 1964 in Redcliffe Queensland) is an Australian film and television actor.

See also

• First Curtin Ministry
• Second Curtin Ministry
• Military history of Australia during World War II

Further reading

Bust of John Curtin by sculptor Wallace Anderson located in the Prime Minister's Avenue in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens

• David Day, Chapter 7. John Curtin: Taking his Childhood Seriously, Australian Political Lives: Chronicling political careers and administrative histories
• Lloyd Ross, John Curtin, MacMillan Company of Australia, 1977, ISBN 0 522 84734 X
• S. The First Curtin Ministry was the thirtieth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 7 October 1941 to 21 September 1943 The Second Curtin Ministry was the thirty-first Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 21 September 1943 to 6 July 1945 Australia entered World War II shortly after the invasion of Poland, declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939 The Prime Minister's Avenue is a collection of busts of the Prime Ministers of Australia, located at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Ballarat Victoria J. Butlin and C. B. Schedvin, War Economy 1942–1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1997
• David Day, Curtin: A Life, Harper Collins, 1999
• John Edwards, Curtin's Gift: Reinterpreting Australia's Greatest Prime Minister, Allen & Unwin, 2005
• Bob Wurth, Saving Australia: Curtin’s secret peace with Japan

Primary sources

• D. Black, In His Own Words: John Curtin's Speeches and Writings, Paradigm Books, Curtin University, Perth 1995

References

External links

• John Curtin - Australia's Prime Ministers / National Archives of Australia
• John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library / Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia
• John Curtin (1885 - 1945) - Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition
• [1] - Prime Ministers' Natural Treasures