31 Facts About Archie Cameron

Archie Galbraith Cameron was an Australian politician.

Archie Cameron was a government minister under Joseph Lyons and Robert Menzies, leader of the Country Party from 1939 to 1940, and finally Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1950 until his death.

Archie Cameron was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly in 1927, and to the House of Representatives at the 1934 federal election.

Archie Cameron replaced Earle Page as leader of the Country Party in September 1939, and in March 1940 led the party back into coalition with the United Australia Party, which Page had broken off.

Archie Cameron was de facto deputy prime minister under Menzies, as well as Minister for Commerce and Minister for the Navy.

Archie Cameron was known throughout his political career for his eccentric manner and strong personality.

Archie Cameron was born in Happy Valley, South Australia, the son of Mary Ann and John Archie Cameron.

Archie Cameron was educated at state schools and worked on his father's farm at Happy Valley until 1916, when he joined the First Australian Imperial Force and fought on the Western Front.

Archie Cameron was gassed while in the front, suffering severe damage to his heart and lungs.

An early member of the Country Party, Archie Cameron unsuccessfully stood for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Wooroora at the 1924 state election.

Archie Cameron reprised his candidacy in Wooroora at the 1927 state election and was elected.

Archie Cameron was elected state leader of the Country Party in 1928.

The Country Party's terms were stiff; among them, Archie Cameron sought to transfer to federal politics, and wanted a safe seat in which to run at the next election.

Accordingly, Archie Cameron resigned from state parliament in 1934 in order to run in that year's federal election.

Archie Cameron was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1934 federal election, standing as the LCL candidate in the seat of Barker.

Archie Cameron joined the parliamentary Country Party upon his election, in accordance with LCL rules which allowed their federal MPs to choose to sit with either the Country Party or the United Australia Party.

Archie Cameron did not have long to wait for ministerial preferment; in 1937 he was appointed an assistant minister in the government of Joseph Lyons.

In November 1937, Archie Cameron stood for the deputy leadership of the Country Party following the retirement of Thomas Paterson; he did not win enough votes to make the second ballot.

Archie Cameron briefly served as acting minister for commerce in 1938, and during that time became the first minister to be "named" by the Speaker.

Archie Cameron temporarily suspended radio 2KY's licence because he objected to political views expressed on it.

Archie Cameron was elected leader of the Country Party on 13 September 1939, following the resignation of Earle Page.

Archie Cameron defeated John McEwen by seven votes to five, with two abstentions.

In March 1940, Archie Cameron took the Country Party back into the coalition government under Menzies, becoming the de facto deputy prime minister as well as Minister for Commerce and Minister for the Navy.

Archie Cameron rejoined the Army and spent the rest of the war on active service in the Directorate of Military Intelligence at Army Headquarters, Melbourne, where he did useful work on the Japanese order of battle.

Archie Cameron was left as the only non-Labor MP from South Australia, and the only non-Labor member outside the eastern states.

Archie Cameron's motion was not put to a vote as no other MP was willing to second it, but in response Spender defended his actions and stated Cameron's intent was to "indulge his peculiar megalomania in order to get some notoriety out of his action".

Archie Cameron followed most of the UAP into Menzies's new party, the Liberal Party, and when the Liberals won the 1949 elections Menzies appointed him Speaker of the House: mainly, it was said, to keep him out of the Cabinet.

Archie Cameron presided over the House with an autocratic style that caused a number of celebrated rows with members on both sides.

Archie Cameron was raised Presbyterian, but later converted to Catholicism, which was his wife's religion.

Archie Cameron did so each time he was elected and was the only member of the House of Representatives to do so during his time in office; after his death no other MPs chose to make an affirmation until 1969.

Archie Cameron told an interviewer that "if a man's word is worthless no amount of oath-taking will make him worthy".