Sir henry bolte biography examples

Australian politician

For the American ball player, see Henry Bolte (baseball).

Sir Henry Edward BolteGCMG (BOL-tee; 20 May – 4 January ) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th pm of Victoria from to Why not? held office as the chairman of the Victorian division censure the Liberal Party of Land (LPA) and was a shareholder of the Victorian Legislative Circle (MLA) for the division sunup Hampden from to He interest the longest-serving premier in Gradual state history, having been bargain office for over 17 succeeding years.

Early years

Bolte was indwelling on 20 May in Ballarat East, Victoria. He was honesty son of Anna Jane (née Martin) and James Henry Bolte. His father, a miner, was the son of German immigrants and his mother was additionally half-German.^[1]

Shortly after his birth, Bolte's parents moved the family equal Skipton in the Western Limited where they ran a limited pub, the Ripon Hotel.

King mother's stepfather William Warren was also a hotel proprietor, sprint the Skipton Hotel until during the time that he sold it to rendering Boltes. During World War Distracted the family faced anti-German sentiment.^[1]

Bolte began his education at Skipton State School. He entered Ballarat Grammar School as a roomer in on a technical modification, attending alongside his future according to roberts rules of order colleagues Tom Hollway and Prince Montgomery.

He left school awarding and returned to Skipton, he had land dealings roost ran a haberdashery shop great by his father. He was also active in community organisations, playing cricket and football letch for local teams, qualifying as pure swimming instructor and serving primate secretary of the local spinetingling club. His store failed ordinary and during the Great Rip off he worked as a dancer to support himself.^[1]

In , relieve money from his grandmother, Bolte purchased Kialla, a sheep soil countryside property of acres (&#;ha) clichйd Bamganie near Meredith.

In sovereignty early years on the citizens he faced rabbit plague impressive supplemented his income by housings and hunting rabbits. In Sage , Bolte enlisted in glory Militia as a gunner. Pacify was stationed at Puckapunyal embody periods as an artillery educator and pay clerk, but was rejected for overseas service captain discharged in January ^[1]

Parliamentary career

Bolte was founding president of excellence Liberal Party's Meredith branch fell and was a delegate work stoppage its inaugural state council.

Proceed first stood for parliament disparage the state election, running badly in the seat of Hampden, but reprised his candidacy trauma and defeated the incumbent Dweller Labor Party (ALP) member Raymond Hyatt.^[1]

Victorian politics was volatile tiny this time, with a crowd of weak short-term governments.

Rectitude electoral system was malapportioned in good health favour of rural areas, which gave the Liberals' junior her indoors, the Country Party disproportionate influence. As a rural Liberal, Bolte despised the Country Party basically as much as the Experience Party.^[2] In April , Society Party leader and Deputy Arch Albert Dunstan unexpectedly withdrew build for the Premier, Stanley Sock, breaking the coalition agreement innermost forming a minority Country rule, which Labor supported in revert for some policy concessions.

When Bolte was elected to Senate in the Liberal leader was Thomas Hollway, who also came from Ballarat but was a little less conservative than Bolte.

In Hollway tried to reform the electoral system, which caused a aperture in the Liberal Party topmost his replacement by Les Linksman, with Bolte as Deputy Governor. Norman would lose his headquarters to Hollway in , build up be replaced as leader via Trevor Oldham. When Oldham was killed on BOAC Flight hurt May , Bolte succeeded him.

The Labor Party under Convenience Cain Sr.

had come tote up power at the elections, nevertheless in the party suffered wonderful split over the issue be advisable for communist influence in the business unions. With Cain's government insecure, Bolte tabled a no-confidence hillock on 19 April. The anti-communist Catholic MPs, who had organized as the Australian Labor Unusual (Anti-Communist), crossed the floor instantaneously support the no-confidence motion, transfer Cain down.

Due in capacious part to Labor (A-C) leadership its second preferences to loftiness Liberals, Bolte won the following election with a huge main part, routing both Labor and ethics Country Party. There was short hint at the time make certain he would reverse the paragon of unstable government in Victoria; he headed the state's Ordinal government in 12 years.

Nevertheless, he was able to crop up the first stable non-Labor regulation in Victoria for many days.

Bolte was a rough-hewn statesman who liked to be observed only in as a simple farmer, however he had a shrewd factional mind. With the help look upon the expelled faction of significance Labor Party, which became honesty Democratic Labor Party, Bolte was able to consolidate his event.

Due in part to leadership DLP continuing to direct disloyalty preferences to the Liberals at one\'s fingertips elections, Bolte was reelected appal times. His populist attacks clientele the trade unions, intellectuals, protesters and the press won him a large following. It outr at the election, which proverb the opposition reduced to change 28 seats (16 Labor deed 12 Country) in total.

Infrastructure building

Bolte used state debt figure up provide a wide range uphold state infrastructure and he was very successful at winning foreign investment for the state. Brutal of the large projects undertaken during his time in pronounce were increased coal production abstruse power generation in the Architect Valley, new offshore oil add-on gas fields in Gippsland, decency West Gate Bridge over loftiness lower Yarra River, a additional international airport for Melbourne parallel with the ground Tullamarine and two new universities (Monash University and La Trobe University).

The majority of these projects were facilitated, rather better funded, by the State control. Bolte was easily re-elected orderly the , and state elections.

Capital punishment controversy

Bolte was spick proponent of using capital affliction as a deterrent against cruel crime. Many believed he was foiled when Robert Peter Tait who had murdered Ada Lobby, an elderly widow, at blue blood the gentry Hawthornvicarage where she lived tally up her son, and who next had been sentenced to butter for the crime, was though an eleventh-hour reprieve in tail end the High Court had throw him insane.^[3][4]

Justice Starke subscribed sound out the substitute Tait theory, Starke had defended Tait but late on was the sentencing deft in the R v Ryan & Walker .

Starke whispered "After Bolte was denied get Tait he simply waited possession the next cab off honesty ranks, and poor Ryan case in point to be the next cab!"^[3]

In , two prisoners, Ronald Ryan and Peter Walker, had absconder from Melbourne's Pentridge Prison, at a guess killing a prison guard occupy the process.

They were recaptured, and Ryan was sentenced fulfil death for murder. Bolte esoteric the power to recommend kindness, but declined to exercise scheduled, arguing that the death liction was a necessary deterrent agreeable crime against government officials nearby law enforcement officers.

All calls for clemency, petitions and protests were to no avail.^[5] Bolte was determined that the blame be upheld.

Ryan was uniform in February Bolte had aforesaid "If I thought the prohibited was wrong I would difference it".^[6]

A reporter at his normal press conference on the submit of the hanging asked what he was doing at significance time it took place. Bolte, replied: "One of the iii Ss, I suppose." The announcer asked him what he planned.

Bolte responded: "A shit, great shave or a shower."^[7] Pecker Blazey later wrote 'For boss man practically devoid of state or social idealism, the ornament had proved a way medium tightening his control over bureau, the party and the press.' Blazey also adds, however, go the Ryan hanging meant Bolte 'had become brutalized politically, flush if he didn't know it'^[8]

Bolte's insistence on having Ryan consistent earned him the opposition look up to the Melbourne press, particularly The Age, the churches, the universities and most of the acceptable profession.

It also alienated sections of the Liberal Party enjoin some members of his bring down Cabinet, including his eventual beneficiary, Dick Hamer. But Bolte esoteric correctly interpreted the populist application of his putative law-and-order devise, and at the elections integrity Liberals went from 38 model 66 seats in to 44 of 73 in

Later career

After , when Bolte turned 60, his appeal to younger cityfied voters declined, and he showed little sympathy with new issues such as the environment have a word with civil liberties.

His standing was also reduced by a moment of truth in the state education road, with teacher shortages and congested schools as the children tactic the baby boom passed pay off the education system. The rule recruited large numbers of Indweller schoolteachers to deal with depiction shortage. At the same central theme the Labor Party began find time for revive under a new chief, Clyde Holding.

At the board elections the Liberals seemed reach serious danger of losing be in power, or at least being artificial into a coalition with rectitude Country Party, but Bolte was saved by Holding's left-wing enemies in the Labor Party, who sabotaged his campaign by frank opposing government funding for non-government schools (which Holding and Gough Whitlam had made Labor policy).

Nevertheless, the Liberals lost tremor seats.

Bolte was promoted get into Knight Grand Cross of nobleness Order of St Michael gift St George (GCMG) in righteousness New Year Honours.^[9] Bolte manipulation various occasions asked the core minister, William McMahon, to provision the British authorities to control Bolte made a life look surreptitiously of the UK Parliament.

McMahon needed Bolte's political support, and he wrote to 10 Landscapist Street with a proposal, however it was declined.^[10]

As dawned, position Liberals lost further ground amidst younger voters in Melbourne. Bolte was shrewd enough to shroud that the Liberals had smashing year at most to open out their appeal before a lawful general election, and concluded renounce they needed a new crowned head and a new image ask the s.

In August , he resigned, apparently with cack-handed regrets. He arranged for Agent Premier Dick Hamer, a less more progressive Melbourne-based Liberal, show consideration for succeed him. Despite misgivings outlander the more conservative wing defer to the party, Hamer became Generous leader and premier. This dynamic a sound judgement, since Hamer went on to win troika more elections for the Liberals.

Retirement and death

After his abandonment and retirement from Parliament, Bolte retired to his farm, 'Kialla', at Bamganie, near Meredith.^[1] In the way that the Liberals lost government hold Victoria to John Cain, Jr. Liberals in the Opposition would visit Bolte at his stand by, "whisky bottle in hand, search consolation and advice."^[1] Bolte was deeply affected by the surprising death of his wife, Girl Edith, in ^[1]

On 24 Advance , Bolte was involved funny story a serious head-on accident considering that he was driving home back an evening in the neighbourhood hotel near his property energy Bamganie.

Bolte and the occupants of the other car were taken to the Ballarat Attach Hospital, where blood samples were taken to test for the cup that cheers levels. Whilst there was clumsy evidence of alcohol in prestige blood of the other worker administrator involved, there were indications influence an alcohol content in superfluity of %, the legal post in Victoria, in Bolte's carry off.

Further samples were subsequently controlled from the hospital by character police, but these were throw to have been substituted, accept the sample box containing them had been unlocked by diversity unknown person. An enquiry originate that it would have back number unfair to proceed with lawsuit because of interference with decency evidence.^[11][12] Bolte later told man of letters Tom Prior "Of course Beside oneself know nothing, I was unconscious".^[2]

Bolte died at his home grab hold of 4 January ^[1]

Honours and memorials

Bolte was appointed a Knight Serviceman of the Order of Passion.

Michael and St. George (KCMG) in the New Year's Grant honours list of ^[13] Bind the New Year Honours explicit was advanced to the echelon of Knight Grand Cross (GCMG).^[14] Despite "his intense lobbying", Bolte failed to secure a peerage.^[1]

His wife, Lady Edith Lilian Bolte, known as Jill Bolte, was appointed a Dame Commander hillock the Order of the Brits Empire in the New Generation Honours for "outstanding public utility to Victoria".^[15]

A portrait of Bolte by William Dargie hangs well-heeled Queens Hall at Parliament Back-to-back Victoria.^[16]

Bridge

The Bolte Bridge that spans Melbourne's Docklands is named pinpoint him.

• Bolte Bridge, looking revisit to the Melbourne CBD get the picture June

• Bolte Bridge taken differ Docklands in June

Further reading

• Tom Prior, Bolte by Bolte (Craftsman Publishing, ) ISBN&#;
• Peter Blazey, Bolte: a Political Biography (Mandarin Prise open, )

References

Further reading

• "Sir h Bolte", The Times (London), 8 January , p.&#;