Thomas White (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Walter White KBE
DFC
(26 April 1888 – 13 October 1957) was an Australia
n politician.
and educated at Moreland State School. In August 1914, he began training as an officer in the Australian Flying Corps
at Point Cook
. In April 1915, he was appointed a captain in the first Australian Imperial Force
and adjutant of a small unit that was sent to Basra
to assist the Indian Army
in the Mesopotamian campaign
. He successfully carried out several operations involving landing behind enemy lines, but on 13 November 1915, he was captured while attempting to cut telegraph wires near Baghdad
. He was imprisoned in Turkey
, but in July 1918 he escaped from a train in Constantinople
and managed to stowaway on a cargo ship to Odessa
, Ukraine
and he then travelled to London
. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross
and was twice mentioned in dispatches
as a result. He published an account of his exploits as Guests of the Unspeakable.
In London, White met Vera Deakin, daughter of former Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin
and quickly became engaged to her. His appointment to the AIF terminated in January 1920 and he married Vera in March 1920, despite the opposition of some of the Deakin family. He became managing director of his father's hardware company, C. J. White & Sons Pty Ltd until 1932.
for the House of Representatives
seat of Maribyrnong
in the 1925 elections
. In 1927, he failed to win the Victorian Legislative Assembly
seat of Prahran
. He won the seat of Balaclava
at a 1929 by-election. The United Australia Party
came to power in the 1931 elections
and in March 1933 he was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs
in the first Lyons Ministry
, replacing Henry Gullett who had stood down due to ill-health. His portfolio was responsible for book and film censorship and he established an advisory board, chaired by Robert Garran
to make recommendations to him. On 8 November 1938, he resigned his portfolio, having discovered that Joseph Lyons
had established an inner Cabinet
from which he was excluded.
With the outbreak of World War II
, White became a temporary squadron leader in the part-time Citizen Air Force. He took leave from parliament and commanded a training school at Somers
and in 1941 he travelled to England
to administer Australian aircrew and to liaise with the Royal Air Force
. He returned to Melbourne
in 1943 and served in the Royal Australian Air Force
Staff School and resumed his parliamentary duties. With the election of the Robert Menzies
government in the 1949 elections
, he was appointed Minister for the Air
and Minister for Civil Aviation
. In June 1951, he resigned from parliament to become Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, a position he held until 1956.
In 1952, White was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
. He suffered from emphysema
and died of myocardial infarction
at his home in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra
, survived by his wife and their four daughters.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(26 April 1888 – 13 October 1957) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician.
Early life and World War I
White was born at Hotham, North Melbourne, VictoriaNorth Melbourne, Victoria
North Melbourne is a large inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. It is bounded by the CityLink freeway to the west, Victoria Street to the south, O'Connell and Peel Streets to the east and Flemington Road to the north. Its...
and educated at Moreland State School. In August 1914, he began training as an officer in the Australian Flying Corps
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
at Point Cook
RAAF Williams
RAAF Williams comprises the two bases of Point Cook and Laverton. Both establishments previously existed as separate RAAF Bases until 1999 when they were amalgamated to form RAAF Williams...
. In April 1915, he was appointed a captain in the first Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
and adjutant of a small unit that was sent to Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
to assist the Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
in the Mesopotamian campaign
Mesopotamian Campaign
The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
. He successfully carried out several operations involving landing behind enemy lines, but on 13 November 1915, he was captured while attempting to cut telegraph wires near Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. He was imprisoned in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, but in July 1918 he escaped from a train in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and managed to stowaway on a cargo ship to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and he then travelled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and was twice mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
as a result. He published an account of his exploits as Guests of the Unspeakable.
In London, White met Vera Deakin, daughter of former Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
and quickly became engaged to her. His appointment to the AIF terminated in January 1920 and he married Vera in March 1920, despite the opposition of some of the Deakin family. He became managing director of his father's hardware company, C. J. White & Sons Pty Ltd until 1932.
Political career
White ran unsuccessfully, as a NationalistNationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
for the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Maribyrnong
Division of Maribyrnong
The Division of Maribyrnong is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. It covers the suburbs of Moonee Ponds, Essendon, Niddrie, Keilor East, Avondale Heights, Tullamarine, Airport West, Sunshine and Brooklyn. Due to...
in the 1925 elections
Australian federal election, 1925
Federal elections were held in Australia on 14 November 1925. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 22 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
. In 1927, he failed to win the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
seat of Prahran
Electoral district of Prahran
Prahran is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 12km² electorate in the inner south-east of Melbourne, taking in the suburbs of South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor, as well as parts of Balaclava, St Kilda, St Kilda East and Toorak...
. He won the seat of Balaclava
Division of Balaclava
The Division of Balaclava was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was named for the suburb of Balaclava, which in turn was named for a battlefield of the Crimean War...
at a 1929 by-election. The United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
came to power in the 1931 elections
Australian federal election, 1931
Federal elections were held in Australia on 19 December 1931. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
and in March 1933 he was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs
Minister for Trade (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Trade has been Dr. Craig Emerson since 14 September 2010.-Portfolio:Currently the Minister for Trade administers the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, although prior to 1987 there was a separate Department of Trade...
in the first Lyons Ministry
First Lyons Ministry
The First Lyons Ministry was the twenty-first Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 6 January 1932 to 12 October 1934.United Australia Party*Rt Hon Joseph Lyons, MP: Prime Minister, Treasurer...
, replacing Henry Gullett who had stood down due to ill-health. His portfolio was responsible for book and film censorship and he established an advisory board, chaired by Robert Garran
Robert Garran
Sir Robert Randolph Garran GCMG KC was an Australian lawyer and public servant, an early leading expert in Australian constitutional law, the first employee of the Government of Australia and the first Solicitor-General of Australia...
to make recommendations to him. On 8 November 1938, he resigned his portfolio, having discovered that Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
had established an inner Cabinet
Cabinet of Australia
The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
from which he was excluded.
With the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, White became a temporary squadron leader in the part-time Citizen Air Force. He took leave from parliament and commanded a training school at Somers
Somers, Victoria
Somers is a small town approximately 72 km south east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the south eastern corner of the Mornington Peninsula on Western Port. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.-History:...
and in 1941 he travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to administer Australian aircrew and to liaise with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. He returned to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1943 and served in the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
Staff School and resumed his parliamentary duties. With the election of the Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
government in the 1949 elections
Australian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
, he was appointed Minister for the Air
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
and Minister for Civil Aviation
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport is the Hon Anthony Albanese. On 3 December 2007 he replaced the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the Hon Mark Vaile, who held office since August 2006, and the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, the Hon Jim...
. In June 1951, he resigned from parliament to become Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, a position he held until 1956.
In 1952, White was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. He suffered from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and died of myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his home in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra
South Yarra, Victoria
South Yarra is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Stonnington and Melbourne...
, survived by his wife and their four daughters.