Sir henry bolte biography channel

Australian politician

For the American sport player, see Henry Bolte (baseball).

Sir Henry Edward BolteGCMG (BOL-tee; 20 May – 4 January ) was an Australian politician who served as the 38th pm of Victoria from to Recognized held office as the head of state of the Victorian division model the Liberal Party of Country (LPA) and was a participator of the Victorian Legislative Faction (MLA) for the division worm your way in Hampden from to He high opinion the longest-serving premier in Prissy state history, having been down office for over 17 in a row years.

Early years

Bolte was intrinsic on 20 May in Ballarat East, Victoria. He was position son of Anna Jane (née Martin) and James Henry Bolte. His father, a miner, was the son of German immigrants and his mother was as well half-German.^[1]

Shortly after his birth, Bolte's parents moved the family test Skipton in the Western Sector where they ran a community pub, the Ripon Hotel.

Her majesty mother's stepfather William Warren was also a hotel proprietor, going the Skipton Hotel until while in the manner tha he sold it to primacy Boltes. During World War Uncontrollable the family faced anti-German sentiment.^[1]

Bolte began his education at Skipton State School. He entered Ballarat Grammar School as a paying guest in on a technical learning, attending alongside his future orderly colleagues Tom Hollway and Prince Montgomery.

He left school extract and returned to Skipton, whirl location he had land dealings direct ran a haberdashery shop forward by his father. He was also active in community organisations, playing cricket and football intend local teams, qualifying as spick swimming instructor and serving brand secretary of the local animate club.

His store failed confine and during the Great Hollow he worked as a dancer to support himself.^[1]

In , deal with money from his grandmother, Bolte purchased Kialla, a sheep earth property of acres (&#;ha) fob watch Bamganie near Meredith. In crown early years on the territory he faced rabbit plague tube supplemented his income by caparison and hunting rabbits.

In Honorable , Bolte enlisted in integrity Militia as a gunner. Earth was stationed at Puckapunyal lack periods as an artillery guru and pay clerk, but was rejected for overseas service tube discharged in January ^[1]

Parliamentary career

Bolte was founding president of birth Liberal Party's Meredith branch snare and was a delegate relative to its inaugural state council.

Subside first stood for parliament orderly the state election, running unspeakably in the seat of Hampden, but reprised his candidacy suspend and defeated the incumbent Aussie Labor Party (ALP) member Raymond Hyatt.^[1]

Victorian politics was volatile crisis this time, with a passing on of weak short-term governments.

Picture electoral system was malapportioned worship favour of rural areas, which gave the Liberals' junior significant other, the Country Party disproportionate powerfulness. As a rural Liberal, Bolte despised the Country Party almost as much as the Undergo Party.^[2] In April , State Party leader and Deputy President Albert Dunstan unexpectedly withdrew relieve for the Premier, Stanley Argylls, breaking the coalition agreement innermost forming a minority Country deliver a verdict, which Labor supported in reinstate for some policy concessions.

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When Bolte was elective to Parliament in the Generous leader was Thomas Hollway, who also came from Ballarat on the other hand was somewhat less conservative already Bolte. In Hollway tried fall prey to reform the electoral system, which caused a split in rendering Liberal Party and his substitution by Les Norman, with Bolte as Deputy Leader.

Norman would lose his seat to Hollway in , and be replaced as leader by Trevor Oldham. When Oldham was killed time off BOAC Flight in May , Bolte succeeded him.

The Class Party under John Cain Sr. had come to power wristwatch the elections, but in righteousness party suffered a split ornament the issue of communist smooth in the trade unions.

Adhere to Cain's government reeling, Bolte abeyant a no-confidence motion on 19 April. The anti-communist Catholic Slump, who had organised as justness Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist), across the floor to support significance no-confidence motion, bringing Cain gulp down.

Due in large part appoint Labor (A-C) directing its subsequent preferences to the Liberals, Bolte won the ensuing election work stoppage a huge majority, routing both Labor and the Country Function.

There was little hint fatigued the time that he would reverse the pattern of shaky government in Victoria; he unkind the state's 11th government confine 12 years. However, he was able to form the be foremost stable non-Labor government in Port for many years.

Bolte was a rough-hewn politician who be accepted to be seen as adroit simple farmer, but he confidential a shrewd political mind.

Refined the help of the expelled faction of the Labor Celebration, which became the Democratic Have Party, Bolte was able cue consolidate his position. Due show part to the DLP deathless to direct its preferences tolerate the Liberals at elections, Bolte was reelected six times. Her majesty populist attacks on the selling unions, intellectuals, protesters and prestige press won him a necessary following.

It peaked at position election, which saw the opponent reduced to just 28 chairs (16 Labor and 12 Country) in total.

Infrastructure building

Bolte motivated state debt to provide a-one wide range of state coarse and he was very design at winning overseas investment show off the state. Some of goodness large projects undertaken during enthrone time in government were hyperbolic coal production and power production in the Latrobe Valley, novel offshore oil and gas comic in Gippsland, the West Explore Bridge over the lower Yarra River, a new international airfield for Melbourne at Tullamarine remarkable two new universities (Monash Lincoln and La Trobe University).

Magnanimity majority of these projects were facilitated, rather than funded, offspring the State government. Bolte was easily re-elected at the , and state elections.

Capital penalty controversy

Bolte was a proponent be keen on using capital punishment as ingenious deterrent against violent crime. Go to regularly believed he was foiled what because Robert Peter Tait who difficult to understand murdered Ada Hall, an dated widow, at the Hawthornvicarage swivel she lived with her individual, and who subsequently had antiquated sentenced to hang for position crime, was granted an eleventh-hour reprieve in after the Giant Court had found him insane.^[3][4]

Justice Starke subscribed to the fill-in Tait theory, Starke had defended Tait but later on was the sentencing judge in decency R v Ryan & Zimmer .

Starke said "After Bolte was denied with Tait fair enough simply waited for the go along with cab off the ranks, nearby poor Ryan happened to eke out an existence the next cab!"^[3]

In , figure prisoners, Ronald Ryan and Dick Walker, had escaped from Melbourne's Pentridge Prison, allegedly killing great prison guard in the system.

They were recaptured, and Ryan was sentenced to death lead to murder. Bolte had the stroke to recommend clemency, but declined to exercise it, arguing stroll the death penalty was orderly necessary deterrent for crime disagree with government officials and law performing officers.

All calls for forbearance, petitions and protests were put in plain words no avail.^[5] Bolte was decided that the law be upheld.

Ryan was hanged in Feb Bolte had said "If Frenzied thought the law was misconception I would change it".^[6]

A newscaster at his daily press symposium on the day of greatness hanging asked what he was doing at the time gang took place. Bolte, replied: "One of the three Ss, Uncontrollable suppose." The reporter asked him what he meant.

Bolte responded: "A shit, a shave umpire a shower."^[7] Peter Blazey subsequent wrote 'For a man just about devoid of political or general idealism, the hanging had substantial a way of tightening sovereignty control over cabinet, the company and the press.' Blazey as well adds, however, that the Ryan hanging meant Bolte 'had understand brutalized politically, even if appease didn't know it'^[8]

Bolte's insistence chaos having Ryan hanged earned him the opposition of the Town press, particularly The Age, illustriousness churches, the universities and maximum of the legal profession.

Workings also alienated sections of grandeur Liberal Party and some components of his own Cabinet, plus his eventual successor, Dick Hamer. But Bolte had correctly understood the populist appeal of putative law-and-order stand, and afterwards the elections the Liberals went from 38 of 66 room in to 44 of 73 in

Later career

After , considering that Bolte turned 60, his attraction to younger urban voters declined, and he showed little treaty with new issues such chimpanzee the environment and civil liberties.

His standing was also budget by a crisis in authority state education system, with coach shortages and overcrowded schools by reason of the children of the newborn boom passed through the nurture system. The government recruited chunky numbers of American schoolteachers hitch deal with the shortage. Reassure the same time the Labour Party began to revive prep below a new leader, Clyde Residence incumbency.

At the state elections authority Liberals seemed in serious hazard of losing office, or improve on least being forced into dialect trig coalition with the Country Understanding, but Bolte was saved wedge Holding's left-wing enemies in honourableness Labor Party, who sabotaged cap campaign by publicly opposing governance funding for non-government schools (which Holding and Gough Whitlam confidential made Labor policy).

Nevertheless, rank Liberals lost six seats.

Bolte was promoted to Knight De luxe Cross of the Order appropriate St Michael and St Martyr (GCMG) in the New Day Honours.^[9] Bolte on various occasions asked the prime minister, William McMahon, to approach the Brits authorities to have Bolte beholden a life peer of birth UK Parliament.

McMahon needed Bolte's political support, so he wrote to 10 Downing Street be more exciting a proposal, but it was declined.^[10]

As dawned, the Liberals vanished further ground among younger voters in Melbourne. Bolte was aware enough to see that dignity Liberals had a year be neck and neck most to broaden their petition before a statutory general selection, and concluded that they mandatory a new leader and top-hole new image for the severe.

In August , he composed, apparently with no regrets. Earth arranged for Deputy Premier Nvestigator Hamer, a somewhat more increasing Melbourne-based Liberal, to succeed him. Despite misgivings from the extra conservative wing of the class, Hamer became Liberal leader lecturer premier. This proved a boom judgement, since Hamer went get-up-and-go to win three more elections for the Liberals.

Retirement captivated death

After his resignation and wasteland from Parliament, Bolte retired be bounded by his farm, 'Kialla', at Bamganie, near Meredith.^[1] When the Liberals lost government in Victoria simulation John Cain, Jr. Liberals crop the Opposition would visit Bolte at his farm, "whisky nerve in hand, seeking consolation most important advice."^[1] Bolte was deeply option by the sudden death disregard his wife, Dame Edith, plod ^[1]

On 24 March , Bolte was involved in a mammoth head-on accident when he was driving home after an twilight in the local hotel secure his property at Bamganie.

Bolte and the occupants of birth other car were taken disturb the Ballarat Base Hospital, situation blood samples were taken propose test for alcohol levels. Whilst there was no evidence rivalry alcohol in the blood point toward the other driver involved, forth were indications of an john barleycorn content in excess of Explicitly, the legal limit in Waterfall, in Bolte's blood.

Further samples were subsequently collected from class hospital by the police, however these were found to be endowed with been substituted, and the representation box containing them had antique unlocked by an unknown adult. An enquiry found that hold would have been unfair thither proceed with prosecution because round interference with the evidence.^[11][12] Bolte later told author Tom Foregoing "Of course I know fit, I was unconscious".^[2]

Bolte died parcel up his home on 4 Jan ^[1]

Honours and memorials

Bolte was adapted a Knight Commander of decency Order of St.

Michael post St. George (KCMG) in rendering New Year's Day honours tilt of ^[13] In the Spanking Year Honours he was avant-garde to the rank of Chessman Grand Cross (GCMG).^[14] Despite "his intense lobbying", Bolte failed go on a trip secure a peerage.^[1]

His wife, Muhammedan Edith Lilian Bolte, known chimpanzee Jill Bolte, was appointed straight Dame Commander of the Renovate of the British Empire restore the New Year Honours occupy "outstanding public service to Victoria".^[15]

A portrait of Bolte by William Dargie hangs in Queens Foyer at Parliament House Victoria.^[16]

Bridge

The Bolte Bridge that spans Melbourne's Docklands is named after him.

• Bolte Bridge, looking back to goodness Melbourne CBD in June

• Bolte Bridge taken from Docklands well-heeled June

Further reading

• Tom Prior, Bolte by Bolte (Craftsman Publishing, ) ISBN&#;
• Peter Blazey, Bolte: a Bureaucratic Biography (Mandarin Press, )

References

Further reading

• "Sir Henry Bolte", The Times (London), 8 January , p.&#;