The Right Honourable  Sir Robert Gordon Menzies  KT AK CH QC
12th Prime Minister of Australia Elections: 1940, 1946—1963
In office 26 April 1939 – 26 August 1941
Constituency	Kooyong (Victoria)
Preceded by	Earle Page
Succeeded by	Arthur Fadden
In office 19 December 1949 – 26 January 1966
Preceded by	Ben Chifley
Succeeded by	Harold Holt
Born	20 December 1894(1894-12-20) Jeparit, Victoria
Died	15 May 1978 (aged 83) Melbourne, Australia
Political party	United Australia; Liberal

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, QC (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth Prime Minister of Australia. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an Order of chivalry associated with Scotland. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign  &ndash are The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. Background The election was held following the early dissolution of the House of Representatives Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Division of Kooyong is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, GCMG, CH (8 August 1880 &ndash 20 December 1961 Australian politician was the eleventh Prime Minister of Australia Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG (13 April 1894&ndash21 April 1973 Australian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Australia, born in Ingham Queensland Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. 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 Harold Edward Holt, CH (5 August 1908 17 December 1967 was an Australian politician who became the 17th Prime Minister of Australia in 1966 Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Jeparit is situated on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Robert Menzies 1930sjpg|right|150px|thumb| Robert Menzies, UAP Prime Minister of Australia 1939-1941]]The United Australia Party or UAP was an Australian The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an Order of chivalry associated with Scotland. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign  &ndash are Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. His second term saw him become Australia's longest serving Prime Minister, a record which still stands. He had a rapid rise to power as Prime Minister at the 1940 election which his party won, but narrowly. A year later, his government was brought down by MPs crossing the floor. He spent eight years in opposition, during which he founded the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. He was re-elected Prime Minister at the 1949 elections, and he then dominated Australian politics until his retirement in 1966. Electoral reform As of this election single transferrable vote with Proportional representation became the method for electing the Senate Menzies was renowned as a brilliant speaker, both on the floor of Parliament and on the hustings; his speech "The forgotten people" being an example of his oratory skills. A husting, or the hustings, was originally a physical platform from which representatives presented their views or cast votes before a parliamentary or other election body The forgotten people is the name given to a 1942 speech delivered by Robert Menzies, an Australian politician who went on to become the country's longest-serving Prime Minister

Early life

Robert Gordon Menzies was born to James Menzies and Kate Menzies (nee Sampson) in Jeparit, a small town in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, on 20 December 1894. Jeparit is situated on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne. The Wimmera is a region in the west of the Australian state of Victoria. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common His father James was a storekeeper, the son of Scottish crofters who had immigrated to Australia in the mid-1850s in the wake of the Victorian gold rush. The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land usually small and arable with a crofter's Dwelling thereon The Victorian Gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s His maternal grandfather, John Sampson, was a miner from Penzance who also came to seek his fortune on the gold-fields, in Ballarat, Victoria. Penzance (Pensans also Penzans, IPA: /pɛnˈzæns/ is a town Civil parish, and Port in the Penwith district of Cornwall Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat" is a city in Victoria, Australia, and one of the country's largest inland cities ^[1] Both his father and one of his uncles had been members of the Victorian parliament, while another uncle had represented Wimmera in the House of Representatives. ^[2] He was proud of his Highland ancestry – his enduring nick-name, Ming, came from "Mingus," the Scots — and his own preferred — pronunciation of "Menzies". The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern

Menzies was first educated at a one-room school, then later at private schools in Ballarat and Melbourne, and read law at the University of Melbourne. Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat" is a city in Victoria, Australia, and one of the country's largest inland cities Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The University of Melbourne is a Public university located in Melbourne, Victoria.

When World War I began Menzies was 19 and held a commission in the university's militia unit. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Menzies resigned his commission at the very time others of his age and class clamoured to be allowed to enlist. It was later stated that since the family has made enough of a sacrifice to the war with the enlistment of these brothers, Menzies should stay to finish his studies. However, Menzies himself never explained the reason why he chose not to enlist. Subsequently he was prominent in undergraduate activities and won academic prizes and declared himself to be a patriotic supporter of the war and conscription. [1] He graduated in law in 1918. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He soon became one of Melbourne's leading lawyers and began to acquire a considerable fortune. In 1920 he married Pattie Leckie, the daughter of a federal Nationalist Party MP, who was reputedly a moderating influence on him. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Dame Pattie Maie Menzies, GBE ( 2 March 1899 - 30 August 1995) was the wife of Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister Sir Stanleybrucejpg|right|150px|thumb| Stanley Bruce, Nationalist Prime Minister of Australia 1923-1929]] The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political

Rise to power

In 1928, Menzies gave up his law practice to enter state parliament as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council representing the Nationalist Party of Australia. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Legislative Council, or upper house is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. Stanleybrucejpg|right|150px|thumb| Stanley Bruce, Nationalist Prime Minister of Australia 1923-1929]] The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political His candidacy was nearly defeated when a group of ex-servicemen attacked him in the press for not having enlisted, but he survived this crisis. The following year he shifted to the Legislative Assembly, and was a minister in the conservative Victorian government from 1932 to 1934, and became Deputy Premier of Victoria in 1932. The Legislative Assembly, or lower house is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar.

Menzies entered federal politics in 1934, representing the United Australia Party (UAP) in the upper-class Melbourne electorate of Kooyong. Robert Menzies 1930sjpg|right|150px|thumb| Robert Menzies, UAP Prime Minister of Australia 1939-1941]]The United Australia Party or UAP was an Australian The Division of Kooyong is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. He was immediately appointed Attorney-General and Minister for Industry in the Joseph Lyons government, and soon became deputy leader of the UAP. Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH (15 September 1879 &ndash 7 April 1939 Australian politician He was seen as Lyons's natural successor and was accused of wanting to push Lyons out, a charge he denied. In 1938 he was given the pejorative nickname "Pig Iron Bob", the result of his industrial battle with waterside workers who refused to load scrap iron being sold to Imperial Japan. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku In 1939, however, he resigned from the Cabinet in protest at what he saw as the government's inaction. Shortly afterwards, on 7 April 1939, Lyons died. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

First term as Prime Minister

Robert Menzies broadcasting to the nation the news of the outbreak of war, 1939

On 26 April 1939, following a period during which the Country Party leader, Sir Earle Page, was caretaker Prime Minister, Menzies was elected Leader of the UAP and was sworn in as Prime Minister. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, GCMG, CH (8 August 1880 &ndash 20 December 1961 Australian politician was the eleventh Prime Minister of Australia But a crisis arose when Page refused to serve under him. In an extraordinary personal attack in the House, Page accused Menzies of cowardice for not having enlisted in the War, and of treachery to Lyons. Menzies then formed a minority government. When Page was deposed as Country Party leader a few months later, Menzies reformed the Coalition with Page's successor, Archie Cameron. Archie Galbraith Cameron (22 March 1895 - 9 August 1956 Australian politician was born in Happy Valley South Australia, and was the son of a Scottish-born farmer (Menzies later forgave Page, but Pattie Menzies never spoke to him again. )

In September 1939, with Britain's declaration of war against Nazi Germany, Menzies found himself a wartime Prime Minister. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers He did his best to rally the country, but the bitter memories of the disillusionment which followed the First World War made this difficult, and the fact that Menzies had not served in that war and that as Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister, Menzies had made an official visit to Germany in 1938 and had expressed his admiration for the regime undermined his credibility. At the 1940 election, the UAP was nearly defeated, and Menzies' government survived only thanks to the support of two independent MPs. The Australian Labor Party, under John Curtin, refused Menzies's offer to form a war coalition. John Joseph Curtin (8 January 1885 &ndash 5 July 1945 Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia when the Australian mainland came under direct

In 1941 Menzies spent months in Britain discussing war strategy with Winston Churchill and other leaders, while his position at home deteriorated. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The Australian historian David Day has suggested that Menzies hoped to replace Churchill as British Prime Minister, and that he had some support in Britain for this. David Day (born 1949 Melbourne) is an Australian historian David Day graduated with first-class Honours in History and Political Science from the University Other Australian writers, such as Gerard Henderson, have rejected this theory. Gerard Henderson is an Australian newspaper columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald and The West Australian. When Menzies came home, he found he had lost all support, and was forced to resign, first, on 28 August, as Prime Minister, and then as UAP leader. The Country Party leader, Arthur Fadden, became Prime Minister. Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG (13 April 1894&ndash21 April 1973 Australian politician and 13th Prime Minister of Australia, born in Ingham Queensland Menzies was very bitter about what he saw as this betrayal by his colleagues, and almost left politics.

Return to power

Sir Robert Menzies

Labor came to power later in October 1941 under John Curtin, following the defeat of the Fadden government in Parliament. In 1943 Curtin won a huge election victory. During 1944 Menzies held a series of meetings at 'Ravenscraig' an old homestead in Aspley to discuss forming a new anti-Labor party to replace the moribund UAP. This was the Liberal Party, which was launched in early 1945 with Menzies as leader. But Labor was firmly entrenched in power and in 1946 Curtin's successor, Ben Chifley, was comfortably re-elected. 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 Comments that "we can't win with Menzies" began to circulate in the conservative press.

Over the next few years, however, the anti-communist atmosphere of the early Cold War began to erode Labor's support. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the In 1947, Chifley announced that he intended to nationalise Australia's private banks, arousing intense middle-class opposition which Menzies successfully exploited. In 1949 a bitter coal-strike, engineered by the Communist Party, also played into Menzies's hands. This article is about the historical Communist Party of Australia dissolved in 1991 In the December 1949 election, Menzies won power for the second time, scoring an as-yet-unsurpassed 48-seat swing. Electoral reform As of this election single transferrable vote with Proportional representation became the method for electing the Senate To this day, it is the most lopsided defeat of a sitting government since Federation. The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South

Although Menzies had a comfortable majority in the House, the ALP-controlled Senate made life very difficult for him. In 1951 Menzies introduced legislation to ban the Communist Party, hoping that the Senate would reject it and give him an excuse for a double dissolution election, but Labor let the bill pass. This article deals with elections to the Australian Parliament. It was subsequently ruled unconstitutional by the High Court. Australian Communist Party v The Commonwealth (1951 83 CLR 1 also known as the The Communist Party Case, was a legal case in the The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. But when the Senate rejected his banking bill, he called a double dissolution and won control of both Houses. History In 1944, Sir Robert Menzies founded the Liberal Party of Australia (descended from the United Australia Party)

Later in 1951 Menzies decided to hold a referendum to change the Constitution to permit him to ban the Communist Party. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita The new Labor leader, Dr H.V. Evatt, campaigned against the referendum on civil liberties grounds, and it was narrowly defeated. Herbert Vere Evatt, QC MP ( April 30, 1894 - November 2, 1965) was an Australian Jurist, politician This was one of Menzies's few electoral miscalculations. He sent Australian troops to the Korean War and maintained a close alliance with the United States. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Robert and wife Pattie Menzies in the 1940s

Economic conditions, however, deteriorated, and Evatt was confident of winning the 1954 elections. Dame Pattie Maie Menzies, GBE ( 2 March 1899 - 30 August 1995) was the wife of Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister Sir Shortly before the elections, Menzies announced that a Soviet diplomat in Australia Vladimir Petrov (see Petrov affair), had defected, and that there was evidence of a Soviet spy ring in Australia, including members of Evatt's staff. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy drama in Australia in April 1954 involving the defection of Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy drama in Australia in April 1954 involving the defection of Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet This Cold War scare enabled Menzies to win the election; although Labor won a majority of the two-party vote, it was unable to take enough seats from the Coalition to topple Menzies. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Evatt accused Menzies of arranging Petrov's defection, but this has since been disproved: he had simply taken advantage of it.

The aftermath of the 1954 election caused a split in the Labor Party, with several anti-Communist members from Victoria defecting to form the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist). The Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist (ALP-AC was the name initially used by the right-wing group which split away from the Australian Labor Party in 1955, The new party directed its preferences to the Liberals, and Menzies was comfortably re-elected over Evatt in 1955. Menzies was reelected almost as easily in 1958, again with the help of preferences from what had become the Democratic Labor Party. The Democratic Labor Party (abbreviated as the DLP was an Australian Political party that existed from 1955 until 1978

By this time the post-war economic boom was in full swing, fuelled by massive immigration and the growth in housing and manufacturing that this produced. Prices for Australia's agricultural exports were also high, ensuring rising incomes. Labor's rather old-fashioned socialist rhetoric was no match for Menzies and his promise of stability and prosperity for all.

Menzies (left) meets with US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (right) at the Pentagon in June 1964

Labor's new leader, Arthur Calwell, gave Menzies a scare after an ill-judged squeeze on credit – an effort to restrain inflation – caused a rise in unemployment. Robert Strange McNamara (born June 9 1916 in Oakland, California) is an American business executive and former United States Secretary of Defense Arthur Augustus Calwell (28 August 1896 - 8 July 1973 Australian politician was Leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1960 to 1967 At the 1961 election Menzies was returned with a majority of only two seats. Issues Due to a credit squeeze the economy had gone into a brief recession in 1961 But Menzies was able to exploit Labor's divisions over the Cold War and the American alliance, and win an increased majority in the 1963 elections. Background The election was held following the early dissolution of the House of Representatives An incident in which Calwell was photographed standing outside a South Canberra hotel while the ALP Federal Executive (dubbed by Menzies the "36 faceless men") was determining policy also contributed to the 1963 victory. The National Executive is the highest elected body of the Australian Labor Party, one of the major political parties in Australia. This was the first "television election," and Menzies, although nearly 70, proved a master of the new medium. He was created a Knight of the Thistle in the same year. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an Order of chivalry associated with Scotland.

In 1965 Menzies made the fateful decision to commit Australian troops to the Vietnam War, and also to reintroduce conscription. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority These moves were initially popular, but later became a problem for his successors. Despite his pragmatic acceptance of the new power balance in the Pacific after World War II and his strong support for the American alliance, he publicly professed continued admiration for links with Britain, exemplified by his admiration for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and famously described himself as "British to the bootstraps". For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II Over the decade, Australia's ardour for Britain and the monarchy faded somewhat, but Menzies' had not. At a function attended by The Queen at Parliament House, Canberra, in 1963, Menzies quoted the Elizabethan poet Thomas Ford, "I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die". Thomas Ford (c 1580 &ndash November 17[[ 648]] was an English Composer, Lutenist, Viol player and poet (This poem has often since been misattributed to Barnabe Googe. Barnabe Googe or Gooche (1540 - 1594 (also spelled Barnaby Googe) was an English Poet and translator one of the earliest English pastoral )

Retirement and posterity

Sir Robert Menzies

Menzies retired in January 1966, and was succeeded as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister by his former Treasurer, Harold Holt. Harold Edward Holt, CH (5 August 1908 17 December 1967 was an Australian politician who became the 17th Prime Minister of Australia in 1966

After his retirement the Queen, in 1966, appointed him to the ancient office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. He toured the United States giving lectures, and published two volumes of memoirs. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the His retirement was spoiled, however, when he suffered strokes in 1968 and 1971. Thereafter he faded from public view, and in old age became very embittered towards his former colleagues. He died from a heart attack in Melbourne in 1978 and was accorded a state funeral, held in Scots' Church, Melbourne. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply The Scots' Church a Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia, was the first Presbyterian Church to be built in the Port Phillip District

Menzies was Prime Minister for a total of 18 years, five months and 12 days, by far the longest term of any Australian Prime Minister, and during his second term he dominated Australian politics as no-one else has ever done. He managed to live down the failures of his first term in office, and to rebuild the conservative side of politics from the depths of 1943. He also did much to develop higher education in Australia, and made the development of Canberra one of his pet projects. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City.

However, it can also be noted that whilst gaining a majority of seats, Menzies lost the two party preferred vote in 1940, 1954, and 1961. The Mackerras Pendulum was devised by the Australian psephologist Malcolm Mackerras as a way of predicting the outcome of an election contested between History In 1949 Sir Robert Menzies founded the Liberal Party of Australia (descended from the United Australia Party) and was led by Menzies for 16 years through Issues Due to a credit squeeze the economy had gone into a brief recession in 1961

He was the only Australian Prime Minister to recommend the appointment of four governors-general (Sir William Slim, and Lords Dunrossil, De L'Isle and Casey). Only two other Prime Ministers have ever chosen more than one governor-general (Malcolm Fraser chose Sir Zelman Cowen and Sir Ninian Stephen; and John Howard chose Peter Hollingworth and Michael Jeffery).

Critics say that Menzies's success was mainly due to the good luck of the long post-war boom and his manipulation of the anti-communist fears of the Cold War years, both of which he exploited with great skill. He was also crucially aided by the crippling dissent within the Labor Party in the 1950s and especially by the ALP split of 1954. But his reputation among conservatives is untarnished, and he remains the Liberal Party's greatest hero.

Several books have been filled with anecdotes about him and with his many witty remarks. While he was speaking in Williamstown, Victoria in 1954, a heckler shouted, "I wouldn’t vote for you if you were the Archangel Gabriel" – to which Menzies coolly replied "If I were the Archangel Gabriel, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be in my constituency. Williamstown ( is one of the oldest suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل "

Planning for an official biography of Menzies began soon after his death, but were long delayed by Dame Pattie Menzies's protection of her husband's reputation and her refusal to co-operate with the appointed biographer, Frances McNicoll. In 1991, the Menzies family appointed Professor A. W. Martin to write a biography, which appeared in two volumes, in 1993 and 1999.

See also

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

• First Menzies Ministry
• Second Menzies Ministry
• Third Menzies Ministry
• Fourth Menzies Ministry
• Fifth Menzies Ministry
• Sixth Menzies Ministry
• Seventh Menzies Ministry
• Eighth Menzies Ministry
• Ninth Menzies Ministry
• Tenth Menzies Ministry

Actors who have played Menzies

• In the 1984 mini series The Last Bastion, Menzies was portrayed by John Wood. 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 The First Menzies Ministry was the twenty-sixth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 26 April 1939 to 14 March 1940. The Second Menzies Ministry was the twenty-seventh Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 14 March 1940 to 28 October 1940 The Third Menzies Ministry was the twenty-eighth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 28 October 1940 to 28 August 1941. The Fourth Menzies Ministry was the thirty-fifth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 19 December 1949 to 11 May 1951. The Fifth Menzies Ministry was the thirty-sixth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 11 May 1951 to 9 July 1954. The Sixth Menzies Ministry was the thirty-seventh Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 9 July 1954 to 11 January 1956. The Seventh Menzies Ministry was the thirty-eighth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 11 January 1956 to 10 December 1958 The Eighth Menzies Ministry was the thirty-ninth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 10 December 1958 to 22 December 1961 The Ninth Menzies Ministry was the fortieth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 22 December 1961 to 18 December 1963. The Tenth Menzies Ministry was the forty-first Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 18 December 1963 to 21 January 1966. John Wood (born 14 July 1946 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a Gold Logie Award -winning Australian actor best known for
• In the 1987 mini series Vietnam, he was portrayed by Noel Ferrier. Noel Ferrier AM (born 20 December 1930 in Melbourne, died 16 October 1997 in Sydney) was an Australian television personality stage and film actor raconteur and
• In the 1988 mini series True Believers, he was portrayed by John Bonney.
• In the 2007 film Curtin, he was portrayed by Bille Brown. Curtin is a Telemovie about the wartime Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin. Bille Brown (born 1952 is an Australian Shakespearean actor and acclaimed Writer of plays.
• Max Gillies has caricatured Menzies on stage and in the comedy satire series The Gillies Report. Max Gillies AM (born November 16 1941 in Melbourne, Victoria Australia) is an Australian actor The Gillies Report was an Australian satirical Television series that was broadcast on ABC TV between 1984 and 1985

Eponyms of Menzies (incomplete)

• Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Foundation
• Menzies School of Health Research Australia
• R. G. Menzies Building, Australian National University Library
• Menzies College (La Trobe University)
• Robert Menzies College (Macquarie University)
• Sir Robert Menzies Building (Monash University, Clayton Campus)
• The Australian federal electoral division of Menzies. The Division of Menzies is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. ^[3]

Notes and references

Further reading

• Alan Martin, Robert Menzies: A Life, two volumes, Melbourne University Press, 1993 and 1999
• A. The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums W. Martin, "Menzies, Sir Robert Gordon (Bob) (1894 – 1978)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 15, Melbourne University Press, (Membourne) 2000, pp 354-361. [2]
• Judith Brett, Robert Menzies' Forgotten People, Macmillan, 1992 (a sharply critical psychological study)
• Michelle Grattan, "Australian Prime Ministers", New Holland Publishers , 2000 (very good summary of his life and career)

External links

• Robert Menzies – Australia's Prime Ministers / National Archives of Australia
• The Menzies Foundation
• The Menzies Virtual Museum
• The Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, London
• The Liberal Party's Robert Menzies website
• The Legacy of Sir Robert Menzies National Library of Australia
• Australia's Prime Ministers – Meet A PM: Robert Menzies
• Sir Robert Menzies at the National Film and Sound Archive