Hubert Lawrence Anthony

Hubert Lawrence "Larry" Anthony (12 March 1897 – 12 July 1957) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Country Party and held ministerial office in the governments of Arthur Fadden and Robert Menzies, serving as Minister for Transport (1941), Postmaster-General (1949–1956), and Minister for Civil Aviation (1951–1954). A soldier and banana-grower before entering politics, he represented the New South Wales seat of Richmond from 1937 to 1957, which was later held by his son Doug Anthony and grandson Larry Anthony, the only three-generation dynasty in the history of the Australian House of Representatives.

The Honourable Larry Anthony
Minister for Civil Aviation
In office 11 May 1951 – 9 July 1954
Prime Minister	Robert Menzies
Preceded by	Thomas White
Succeeded by	Athol Townley
Postmaster-General of Australia
In office 19 December 1949 – 11 January 1956
Prime Minister	Robert Menzies
Preceded by	Don Cameron
Succeeded by	Charles Davidson
Minister for Transport
In office 26 June 1941 – 7 October 1941
Prime Minister	Robert Menzies Arthur Fadden
Preceded by	Position re-established
Succeeded by	George Lawson
Member of the Australian Parliament for Richmond
In office 23 October 1937 – 12 July 1957
Preceded by	Roland Green
Succeeded by	Doug Anthony
Personal details
Born	12 March 1897 Warren, New South Wales Colony, British Empire
Died	12 July 1957 (aged 60) Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Country
Relations	Doug Larry
Relatives	Anthony family
Occupation	Farmer Soldier Politician
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1914–1916
Rank	Sapper
Unit	First Australian Imperial Force
Commands	2nd Signal Troop (Engineers)
Battles/wars	World War I  • Gallipoli campaign
Service number	521
Active duty	25 July – 10 August 1915
Discharge reason	Medically unfit
Awards	1914–15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Early life

Anthony was born in Warren, New South Wales, and had a limited education in bush schools. In 1914 he joined the Australian Army and spent World War I in the Signals Corps, seeing active duty in Gallipoli. He was discharged in 1916 following his return to Australia, where he was initially admitted to the first Auxiliary Hospital suffering from throat disease. After the war he settled at Murwillumbah on the NSW north coast, where he took up banana farming. By the 1930s he was the biggest banana-grower in Australia and chairman of the Banana Growers Federation. This made him an influential figure in the politics of the Northern Rivers region.[1]

Politics

Anthony in 1938

In 1937 Anthony was elected to the House of Representatives as Country Party member for the seat of Richmond. As a powerful figure in the party he had rapid promotion. He was an Honorary Minister 1940–1941, and Minister for Transport in 1941. During the years of the wartime Australian Labor Party government (1941–1949), he was a senior member of the Opposition.[1]

In 1949 the conservatives returned to power under Robert Menzies, and Anthony became Postmaster-General, adding the post of Minister for Civil Aviation in 1951. He held these posts until his sudden death at Murwillumbah in 1957. He was succeeded as Member for Richmond by his son Doug Anthony, then aged 27. Doug Anthony was later leader of the Country Party and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia 1971–1972 and 1975–1983. Doug's son Larry Anthony was Member for Richmond 1996–2004 and was a junior minister in the Howard government.[1]

The Anthonys are the only three-generation dynasty in the House of Representatives, although Alexander Downer is the son of a federal MP and the grandson of a Senator.

See also

• Anthony family

References

1. Brodrick, Lloyd. "Anthony, Hubert Lawrence (Larry) (1897–1957)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 29 May 2007.

External links

• National Archives of Australia: (Army – World War I: 1914–18) – Military service extract: Anthony, Hubert Lawrence

Further reading

• Davey, Paul (2008). Politics in the Blood: The Anthonys of Richmond. UNSW Press. ISBN 9781921410239.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)