Gordon Freeth

The Honourable Sir Gordon Freeth KBE


Member of the Australian Parliament for Forrest
In office 10 December 1949 – 25 October 1969
Preceded by	Nelson Lemmon
Succeeded by	Frank Kirwan
Personal details
Born	(1914-08-06)6 August 1914 Angaston, South Australia
Died	27 November 2001(2001-11-27) (aged 87)
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse(s)	Joan Baker
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Occupation	Lawyer

Sir Gordon Freeth, KBE (6 August 1914 – 27 November 2001) was an Australian politician.

Freeth was born in Angaston, South Australia, the son of Robert Freeth (1886–1979) and Gladys Mary Snashall. He attended Sydney Church of England Grammar School and the Guildford Grammar School in Western Australia (where his father was headteacher from 1928 to 1949).

He was awarded a Bachelor of Laws by the University of Western Australia in 1938. He won a gold medal for rowing in the coxed fours in the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney. In 1939 he married Joan Baker and they had twin daughters, Felicity and Susan and a son, Robert. In the same year he began practising law in Katanning, Western Australia. With the outbreak of World War II, he joined the Royal Australian Air Force and he flew Beaufort bombers in New Guinea and had been promoted to flight lieutenant by 1945, when he was demobilised.

Freeth was elected as the Liberal Party of Australia member for Forrest in the 1949 election. He was appointed Minister for the Interior and Minister for Works in 1958 and in 1963 he was appointed Minister for Shipping and Transport. In February 1968, he was appointed Minister for Air, replacing Peter Howson. He was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, replacing Paul Hasluck, in February 1969 when Hasluck became Governor-General. He was defeated at the 1969 election by the Australian Labor Party candidate, Frank Kirwan.