John Lawson (Australian politician)
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The Honourable John Lawson |
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| Member of the Australian Parliament for Macquarie |
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In office 19 December 1931 – 21 September 1940 |
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| Preceded by | Ben Chifley |
| Succeeded by | Ben Chifley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 March 1897 Sydney, New South Wales |
| Died | 14 August 1956 (aged 59) Singleton, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | United Australia Party |
| Spouse(s) | Jessie Alicia Orchard |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Occupation | Veterinarian |
John Norman Lawson (24 March 1897 – 14 August 1956) was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney to James Lawson and Eleanor, née Day, he was educated at Sydney Boys' High School and the University of Sydney. He worked as a veterinarian in New Zealand from 1920 until 1926, when he bought Kidgery, a sheep station near Nyngan, New South Wales. He married Jessie Alicia Orchard, daughter of Richard Orchard, in 1925.
In 1930, Lawson unsuccessfully stood as a Nationalist candidate for the seat of Cobar in an attempt to enter the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He was later endorsed by the United Australia Party to contest the federal seat of Macquarie, held by Ben Chifley, the Labor Minister for Defence. In a surprising result, Lawson defeated Chifley by 456 votes, having been helped by the split of the Labor vote between Chifley and the Lang Labor candidate, Tony Luchetti.
Lawson was a vocal supporter of the proposal to establish a shale-oil undertaking at Newnes, near Lithgow, and in 1934 he increased his margin in Macquarie substantially. He was part of the delegation to the coronation of King George V, and was assistant to the treasurer Richard Casey and then the minister for industry Robert Menzies. When Menzies resigned in protest at Prime Minister Joseph Lyons' refusal to proceed with a scheme for national insurance, the loyal Lawson resigned his portfolios too. Upon Lyons' death in 1939, Menzies, as the new Prime Minister, was able to reward Lawson's devotion by appointing him minister for trade and customs.
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