Lang Hancock
| Lang Hancock | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Langley Frederick George Hancock 10 June 1909 Leederville, Western Australia |
| Died | 27 March 1992 (aged 82) Prix D'Amour, Mosman Park, Western Australia |
| Occupation | Mining magnate |
| Known for | Discovery of the world's largest iron deposit; Western Australian Secessionsism; other business and mining interests |
| Board member of | Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd |
| Spouse(s) |
Susette Maley (m. 1935; div. 1942) Hope Nicholas Clark (m. 1947; wid. 1983) Rose Lacson (m. 1985; wid. 1992) |
| Partner(s) | Olive Blanche (1931—1934) Kathleen Kickett (1942—1943) |
| Children |
with Kickett; Hilda Kickett with Nicholas Clark; Georgina Hancock |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 Australia
|
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1944 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Service number | W74963 |
| Unit | 11 North West Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Langley Frederick George "Lang" Hancock (10 June 1909 – 27 March 1992) was an Australian iron ore magnate from Western Australia who maintained a high profile in the competing spheres of business and politics. Famous initially for discovering the world's largest iron ore deposit in 1952 and becoming one of the richest men in Australia, he is now perhaps best remembered for his marriage to the much younger former Filipino maid Rose Porteous. Hancock's daughter, Gina Rinehart, was bitterly opposed to Hancock's relationship with Porteous. The conflicts between Rinehart and Porteous overshadowed his final years and continued until more than a decade after his death.
Aside from his extensively publicised personal life, Hancock's highly conservative, extreme views on the government of Australia, Indigenous Australians and sociopolitical topics caused widespread controversy during his life.
Lang Hancock was born in Perth, Western Australia, to one of that state's oldest land-owning families. He spent his early childhood on his family's station at Ashburton Downs and moved to Mulga Downs Station in the north-west after his father, George Hancock, bought a farming estate there. Lang attended Hale School in Perth as a boarder and upon completing his education returned to Mulga Downs Station to help his father manage the property.
As a young man, Hancock was widely considered charming and charismatic. In 1935 he married 21-year-old Susette Maley, described by his biographer Debi Marshall as "an attractive blonde with laughing eyes". The couple lived at Mulga Downs for many years, but Maley pined for city life and eventually left Hancock to return to Perth. Their separation was amicable. Also in 1935, Hancock took over the management of Mulga Downs station from his father. He partnered with his old schoolmate E. A. "Peter" Wright in running the property, later boasting that no deals between the two men were ever sealed with anything stronger than a handshake.
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