Tom Hughes (Australian politician)
Tom Hughes | |
---|---|
Attorney-General for Australia | |
In office 12 November 1969 – 22 March 1971 | |
Prime Minister | John Gorton William McMahon |
Preceded by | Nigel Bowen |
Succeeded by | Nigel Bowen |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Parkes | |
In office 30 November 1963 – 25 October 1969 | |
Preceded by | Les Haylen |
Succeeded by | Division abolished |
Member of the Australian Parliament for Berowra | |
In office 25 October 1969 – 2 November 1972 | |
Preceded by | Division created |
Succeeded by | Harry Edwards |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes 26 November 1923 Sydney, Australia |
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse(s) |
Joanna Fitzgerald
(m. 1951; div. 1972)Christine Abel Smith
(m. 1981) |
Children | 3, including Lucy |
Parent(s) | Geoffrey Forrest Hughes Margaret Vidal |
Relatives | Thomas Hughes (grandfather) Robert Hughes (brother) See Hughes family |
Alma mater | University of Sydney |
Profession | Lawyer Politician |
Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes AO QC (born 26 November 1923) is a former Australian politician and a prominent barrister practising at Blackstone Chambers in Sydney, who served as the 19th Attorney-General of Australia from 1969 to 1971. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1963 to 1972, representing first the seat of Parkes and then (when Parkes was abolished in 1969) the seat of Berowra. He is the last surviving member of the Second Gorton Ministry (1969-1971) from the Liberal Party, along with Andrew Peacock.
Early life and education
Born in South Sydney, Hughes was the son of lawyer and aviator Geoffrey Forrest Hughes. His brother was the writer and critic Robert Hughes. His grandfather and great-uncle were members of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and the University of Sydney,[1] where he graduated in law. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II and was awarded the French Légion d'honneur in 2005 for his courage while flying planes in the Invasion of Normandy.[2] He was called to the New South Wales bar in 1949, becoming a QC in 1962.
Politics
Hughes defeated the long-serving Labor member Les Haylen to unexpectedly win the seat of Parkes at the 1963 elections. He was attorney-general in the government of John Gorton, but was dropped from the ministry by William McMahon,[1] and the disillusionment this caused led him to retire at the 1972 election.
Later legal career
After leaving politics he became one of the leading figures at the Sydney bar, and was president of the New South Wales Bar Association between 1973 and 1975. He was formerly engaged in full-time practice as a member of Sydney's Blackstone Chambers, and is the most senior member of the NSW Bar.[3]
In 2002, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Hughes was still working full-time at the age of 78, as one of only two active barristers admitted to the New South Wales bar in the 1940s.[1]
Personal life
In 1951 Hughes married Joanna Fitzgerald, a niece of the poet R. D. Fitzgerald. The couple had three children together – Lucy, Tom Jr. and Michael.[1] Lucy served as Lord Mayor of Sydney (2000–2002) and married Malcolm Turnbull, who became prime minister of Australia (2015–2018). Tom followed his father into the legal profession, often serving as his junior.[1] Michael became a stockbroker and business executive, also holding senior office in the Liberal Party's organisational wing.[4]
Hughes and his first wife divorced in 1972.[5] He subsequently proposed marriage to actress Kate Fitzpatrick, who turned him down. He re-married in 1981 to Chrissie Abel Smith (née Taylor), at a ceremony officiated by Ted Noffs.[1]
Hughes was raised Catholic. He left the church for a period due to disagreements with its social policies, but rejoined in the early 1990s.[1]
Honours
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | 1988 for services to the legal profession[6] | |
1939–45 Star | ||
France and Germany Star | ||
War Medal 1939–1945 | ||
Australia Service Medal 1939–45 | ||
Centenary Medal | 2001 [7] | |
Chevalier of the Legion of Honour | (France) 2005[2] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "The old silk road". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 June 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ a b ABC (2008). PM – Australian vets honoured with French Legion of Honour. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
- ^ "Blackstone Chambers Barristers - The Hon. Thomas Hughes AO QC". Findmypast. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ Clennell, Andrew (4 July 2018). "Turnbull's brother-in-law Michael Hughes hunts NSW Liberal donors". The Weekend Australian. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Blackshield, Tony (1 July 2016). "Contradictory counsel". Inside Story. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ It's An Honour (2008). HUGHES, Thomas Eyre Forrest. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
- ^ It's An Honour (2008). HUGHES, Thomas Eyre. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
- Use dmy dates from June 2011
- 1923 births
- Living people
- Australian barristers
- Australian World War II pilots
- Australian people of Irish descent
- Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
- Attorneys-General for Australia
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Parkes
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Berowra
- Recipients of the Legion of Honour
- Officers of the Order of Australia
- Recipients of the Centenary Medal
- Sydney Law School alumni
- Australian Queen's Counsel
- People educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview
- 20th-century Australian politicians