Clive Raleigh Evatt was an Australian politician, barrister and raconteur.
15 Facts About Clive Evatt
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Clive Evatt was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1939 until 1959.
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Clive Raleigh Evatt was born in East Maitland, the son of an immigrant publican who died when Evatt was one year old.
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Clive Evatt's family prevented him from enlisting in the First AIF, but allowed him to enroll in the Royal Military College, Duntroon from which he graduated as a lieutenant in 1921.
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Clive Evatt resigned from the army the following year to study law at the University of Sydney.
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Clive Evatt graduated and was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1926.
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Clive Evatt married Marjorie Andreas, the daughter of Harry Andreas of Leuralla, in 1928 and they had three children: Elizabeth Evatt ; Penelope Seidler and defamation barrister Clive Evatt Jnr.
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Clive Evatt specialized in Workers' Compensation cases but appeared in criminal cases, most notably in the Shark Arm case, where he successfully defended Patrick Brady.
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Clive Evatt had been endorsed by the Industrial Labor Party of Bob Heffron and defeated a candidate of the Australian Labor Party supported by Jack Lang.
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The Industrial Labor Party was dissolved and Clive Evatt was admitted to the Labor Party caucus when Lang was replaced as Labor leader by William McKell who subsequently led the ALP to victory at the 1941 election.
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Clive Evatt served in the governments of William McKell, James McGirr and Joseph Cahill as Minister for Education, Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities and Immigration, Minister for Housing and Chief Secretary.
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Clive Evatt was expelled from the Labor Party on 13 July 1956 after he voted in parliament against a caucus decision to increase tram fares.
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Clive Evatt fought the subsequent election as an independent Labor candidate but he was defeated by the endorsed ALP candidate Bill Rigby, his former private secretary, whom he later should represent in a defamation case.
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Clive Evatt died at Darlinghurst on 15 September 1984, survived by his three children.
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Clive Evatt's son was named Clive and was a well-known defamation barrister.