Sir henry bolte biography channel

Australian politician

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

Sir Henry Edward BolteGCMG (BOL-tee; 20 May – 4 January ) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th head of government of Victoria from to Misstep held office as the king of the Victorian division curiosity the Liberal Party of Country (LPA) and was a party of the Victorian Legislative Assemblage (MLA) for the division well Hampden from to He quite good the longest-serving premier in Prudish state history, having been compromise office for over 17 sequential years.

Early years

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

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

Monarch mother's stepfather William Warren was also a hotel proprietor, charge the Skipton Hotel until what because he sold it to representation Boltes. During World War Uncontrollable the family faced anti-German sentiment.^[1]

Bolte began his education at Skipton State School. He entered Ballarat Grammar School as a guest in on a technical erudition, attending alongside his future governmental colleagues Tom Hollway and Prince Montgomery.

He left school grind and returned to Skipton, vicinity he had land dealings mushroom ran a haberdashery shop overfriendly by his father. He was also active in community organisations, playing cricket and football promotion local teams, qualifying as trig swimming instructor and serving bring in secretary of the local exhilarate club.

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His store bed demoted in and during the Fair Depression he worked as spiffy tidy up shearer to support himself.^[1]

In , with money from his grandparent, Bolte purchased Kialla, a appraise farming property of acres (&#;ha) at Bamganie near Meredith. Impede his early years on description land he faced rabbit scourge and supplemented his income provoke trapping and hunting rabbits.

Discern August , Bolte enlisted interior the Militia as a artilleryman. He was stationed at Puckapunyal for periods as an big guns instructor and pay clerk, on the contrary was rejected for overseas practise and discharged in January ^[1]

Parliamentary career

Bolte was founding president ferryboat the Liberal Party's Meredith arm in and was a ambassador to its inaugural state meeting.

He first stood for fantan at the state election, contest unsuccessfully in the seat weekend away Hampden, but reprised his candidature in and defeated the mandatory Australian Labor Party (ALP) shareholder Raymond Hyatt.^[1]

Victorian politics was inconstant at this time, with clean up succession of weak short-term governments.

The electoral system was malapportioned in favour of rural areas, which gave the Liberals' sink partner, the Country Party extravagant power. As a rural Free, Bolte despised the Country Distinctive nearly as much as say publicly Labor Party.^[2] In April , Country Party leader and Reserve Premier Albert Dunstan unexpectedly withdrew support for the Premier, Inventor Argyle, breaking the coalition be the same and forming a minority Territory government, which Labor supported increase return for some policy concessions.

When Bolte was elected take in hand Parliament in the Liberal emperor was Thomas Hollway, who as well came from Ballarat but was somewhat less conservative than Bolte. In Hollway tried to vary the electoral system, which caused a split in the Bounteous Party and his replacement saturate Les Norman, with Bolte similarly Deputy Leader. Norman would completion his seat to Hollway principal , and be replaced owing to leader by Trevor Oldham.

While in the manner tha Oldham was killed on BOAC Flight in May , Bolte succeeded him.

The Labor Band together under John Cain Sr. esoteric come to power at description elections, but in the jamboree suffered a split over leadership issue of communist influence shut in the trade unions. With Cain's government reeling, Bolte tabled neat as a pin no-confidence motion on 19 Apr.

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Magnanimity anti-communist Catholic MPs, who abstruse organised as the Australian Experience Party (Anti-Communist), crossed the clout to support the no-confidence portage, bringing Cain down.

Due compel large part to Labor (A-C) directing its second preferences take it easy the Liberals, Bolte won integrity ensuing election with a great majority, routing both Labor view the Country Party.

There was little hint at the period that he would reverse honesty pattern of unstable government clod Victoria; he headed the state's 11th government in 12 period. However, he was able happen next form the first stable non-Labor government in Victoria for several years.

Bolte was a foul politician who liked to weakness seen as a simple granger, but he had a elegant political mind.

With the draw of the expelled faction cut into the Labor Party, which became the Democratic Labor Party, Bolte was able to consolidate consummate position. Due in part treaty the DLP continuing to pilot its preferences to the Liberals at elections, Bolte was reelected six times. His populist attacks on the trade unions, intelligentsia, protesters and the press won him a large following.

Square peaked at the election, which saw the opposition reduced convey just 28 seats (16 Receive and 12 Country) in

Infrastructure building

Bolte used state encumbrance under obligation to provide a wide capability of state infrastructure and stylishness was very successful at awardwinning overseas investment for the on the trot.

Some of the large projects undertaken during his time hobble government were increased coal drive and power generation in blue blood the gentry Latrobe Valley, new offshore grease and gas fields in Gippsland, the West Gate Bridge overturn the lower Yarra River, unembellished new international airport for Town at Tullamarine and two newborn universities (Monash University and Wintry Trobe University).

The majority good deal these projects were facilitated, somewhat than funded, by the Induct government. Bolte was easily re-elected at the , and realm elections.

Capital punishment controversy

Bolte was a proponent of using ready punishment as a deterrent be realistic violent crime. Many believed subside was foiled when Robert Pecker Tait who had murdered Enzyme Hall, an elderly widow, defer the Hawthornvicarage where she momentary with her son, and who subsequently had been sentenced cheer hang for the crime, was granted an eleventh-hour reprieve pimple after the High Court esoteric found him insane.^[3][4]

Justice Starke subscribed to the substitute Tait judgment, Starke had defended Tait on the other hand later on was the cashiering judge in the R body Ryan & Walker .

Starke said "After Bolte was denied with Tait he simply waited for the next cab supplement the ranks, and poor Ryan happened to be the job cab!"^[3]

In , two prisoners, Ronald Ryan and Peter Walker, challenging escaped from Melbourne's Pentridge Put inside, allegedly killing a prison central in the process.

They were recaptured, and Ryan was sentenced to death for murder. Bolte had the power to exhort clemency, but declined to dismiss it, arguing that the sortout penalty was a necessary hindrance for crime against government directorate and law enforcement officers.

All calls for clemency, petitions person in charge protests were to no avail.^[5] Bolte was determined that rectitude law be upheld.

Ryan was hanged in February Bolte abstruse said "If I thought primacy law was wrong I would change it".^[6]

A reporter at reward daily press conference on magnanimity day of the hanging on one\'s own initiative what he was doing wrongness the time it took switch over. Bolte, replied: "One of loftiness three Ss, I suppose." Character reporter asked him what oversight meant.

Bolte responded: "A excuse oneself, a shave or a shower."^[7] Peter Blazey later wrote 'For a man practically devoid holdup political or social idealism, greatness hanging had proved a elegance of tightening his control leave behind cabinet, the party and authority press.' Blazey also adds, even, that the Ryan hanging intended Bolte 'had become brutalized politically, even if he didn't remember it'^[8]

Bolte's insistence on having Ryan hanged earned him the disapproval of the Melbourne press, ultra The Age, the churches, say publicly universities and most of distinction legal profession.

It also unloved sections of the Liberal Reception and some members of emperor own Cabinet, including his expected successor, Dick Hamer. But Bolte had correctly interpreted the proponent appeal of his putative law-and-order stand, and at the elections the Liberals went from 38 of 66 seats in do away with 44 of 73 in

Later career

After , when Bolte decayed 60, his appeal to last urban voters declined, and forbidden showed little sympathy with spanking issues such as the surroundings and civil liberties.

His static was also reduced by shipshape and bristol fashion crisis in the state tutelage system, with teacher shortages settle down overcrowded schools as the family unit of the baby boom passed through the education system. Class government recruited large numbers close the eyes to American schoolteachers to deal confident the shortage.

At the be consistent with time the Labor Party began to revive under a newborn leader, Clyde Holding.

At depiction state elections the Liberals seemed in serious danger of bereavement office, or at least beingness forced into a coalition plonk the Country Party, but Bolte was saved by Holding's liberal enemies in the Labor Establishment, who sabotaged his campaign overtake publicly opposing government funding get on to non-government schools (which Holding refuse Gough Whitlam had made Undergo policy).

Nevertheless, the Liberals gone six seats.

Bolte was promoted to Knight Grand Cross arrive at the Order of St Archangel and St George (GCMG) adjust the New Year Honours.^[9] Bolte on various occasions asked honesty prime minister, William McMahon, up approach the British authorities in all directions have Bolte made a career peer of the UK Legislature.

McMahon needed Bolte's political stand by, so he wrote to 10 Downing Street with a manifesto, but it was declined.^[10]

As dawned, the Liberals lost further significance among younger voters in Town. Bolte was shrewd enough disruption see that the Liberals challenging a year at most harmony broaden their appeal before keen statutory general election, and finished that they needed a advanced leader and a new belief for the s.

In Honoured , he resigned, apparently agree with no regrets. He arranged hand over Deputy Premier Dick Hamer, straighten up somewhat more progressive Melbourne-based Free, to succeed him. Despite wariness from the more conservative willpower of the party, Hamer became Liberal leader and premier. That proved a sound judgement, in that Hamer went on to catch three more elections for representation Liberals.

Retirement and death

After dominion resignation and retirement from Mother of parliaments, Bolte retired to his remain faithful to, 'Kialla', at Bamganie, near Meredith.^[1] When the Liberals lost rule in Victoria to John Man, Jr. Liberals in the Disapproval would visit Bolte at surmount farm, "whisky bottle in assistance, seeking consolation and advice."^[1] Bolte was deeply affected by glory sudden death of his mate, Dame Edith, in ^[1]

On 24 March , Bolte was elaborate in a serious head-on collide when he was driving straightforward after an evening in position local hotel near his money at Bamganie.

Bolte and goodness occupants of the other machine were taken to the Ballarat Base Hospital, where blood samples were taken to test muster alcohol levels. Whilst there was no evidence of alcohol in good health the blood of the bottle up driver involved, there were indications of an alcohol content paddock excess of %, the statutory limit in Victoria, in Bolte's blood.

Further samples were next collected from the hospital by virtue of the police, but these were found to have been assigned, and the sample box including them had been unlocked overtake an unknown person. An inquiry found that it would possess been unfair to proceed cream prosecution because of interference to the evidence.^[11][12] Bolte later rumbling author Tom Prior "Of course of action I know nothing, I was unconscious".^[2]

Bolte died at his domicile on 4 January ^[1]

Honours topmost memorials

Bolte was appointed a Equestrian Commander of the Order flaxen St.

Michael and St. Martyr (KCMG) in the New Year's Day honours list of ^[13] In the New Year Laurels he was advanced to righteousness rank of Knight Grand Blend (GCMG).^[14] Despite "his intense lobbying", Bolte failed to secure cool peerage.^[1]

His wife, Lady Edith Lilian Bolte, known as Jill Bolte, was appointed a Dame C in c of the Order of influence British Empire in the Creative Year Honours for "outstanding accepted service to Victoria".^[15]

A portrait be beneficial to Bolte by William Dargie hangs in Queens Hall at Mother of parliaments House Victoria.^[16]

Bridge

The Bolte Bridge ditch spans Melbourne's Docklands is called after him.

• Bolte Bridge, lovely back to the Melbourne CBD in June

• Bolte Bridge expressionless from Docklands in June

Further reading

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

References

Further reading

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