John Lemmon (politician)

John Lemmon (15 July 1875 28 October 1955) was an Australian politician. He served the longest ever term as a member of the Victorian Parliament, being an MLA for over fifty years.


John Lemmon
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Williamstown
In office
1 June 1904  22 April 1955
Preceded byAlexander Ramsay
Succeeded byLarry Floyd
Personal details
Born(1875-07-15)15 July 1875
Carlton, Victoria
Died28 October 1955(1955-10-28) (aged 80)
Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Resting placeSpringvale Botanical Cemetery
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLabor Party
Spouse(s)
Edith Ruddock
(
m. 1905)
ChildrenNelson Lemmon
OccupationCarpenter

Born in Carlton to English wood turner Samuel Lemmon and his Irish wife Matilda Thompson, he attended Rathdowne St Primary School, the Trades Hall School and then Workingmen's College. He was a carpenter for five years and then a cutter, joining the Timber Workers' Union at the age of fifteen. On 25 April 1905 he married Edith Ruddock, with whom he had three children. In 1904 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Williamstown. In December 1913 he was briefly Minister of Public Instruction and Labour, serving again from July to November 1924 and from May 1927 to November 1928. In December 1929 he resumed his old post, serving until March 1932. He was the secretary of the Parliamentary Labor Party from 1913 to 1938. Lemmon held the seat until 1955; the longest term of any member of the Victorian Parliament.[1] He died of cancer later that year at Hawthorn.[2]

His son, Nelson Lemmon, was a minister in the federal Chifley Labor government.

References

  1. "Lemmon, John". Parliament of Victoria. 1985. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  2. Ann G. Smith, 'Lemmon, John (1875–1955)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 11 March 2013.
Victorian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
Alexander Ramsay
Member for Williamstown
1904–1955
Succeeded by
Larry Floyd


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