People Australia

Frank Forde, c.1932

National Library of Australia, 43954489

Francis Michael (Frank) Forde (1890-1983) telegraphist, prime minister and diplomat

Birth: 18 July 1890 at Mitchell, Queensland, son of Irish-born parents John Forde (1861-1927), a railway ganger from Ballinagleragh, County Leitrim, and Ellen, née Quirk (1863-1923), from County Tipperary. Marriage: 25 February 1925 at Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, to Veronica Catherine O’Reilly (1894-1967). They had three daughters and one son. Death: 28 January 1983 in Holy Spirit private hospital at Brisbane, Queensland. 

• Educated at Christian Brothers School, Toowoomba. Worked as a teacher and as an electrical engineer in various posts.
• President, Rockhampton Australian Natives’ Assocation and Workers Political Organisation.
• Forde was an Australian Labor Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the seat of Rockhampton from 12 May 1917 to 5 October 1922.
• On 16 December 1922 he was elected member of the Australian House of Representatives for Capricornia. He was deputy leader (Federal parliamentary ALP) in 1932-1946, assistant minister, trade and customs 1929-1930; minister 1931-1932, minister for the army 1941-1946, minister for defence 1946 and deputy prime minister 1941-1945 and 1945-1946.
• He was prime minister of Australia from 6th to 13th July 1945. He lost his seat in parliament in August 1946.
• He was delegate to the United Nations, San Francisco in 1945. From 1946 to 1953 he was Australian high commissioner to Canada.
• In 1953 he was organiser for the Queensland ALP. He was Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Flinders in 1955-1957.
• Cause of death: congestive cardiac failure (1 week) and ischaemic heart disease. 

Sources
Joan Rydon (ed) A biographical register of the Commonwealth Parliament 1901-1972 (ANU Press, 1975); Duncan Bruce Waterson Biographical register of the Queensland Parliament 1860-1929 (Sydney, 2001).