69 Facts About Frank Forde

Francis Michael Forde was an Australian politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945, in a caretaker capacity following the death of John Curtin.

Frank Forde was deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1932 to 1946 and is the shortest-serving prime minister in Australia's history.

Frank Forde was born in Mitchell, Queensland, to Irish immigrant parents.

Frank Forde eventually settled in Rockhampton, and was a schoolteacher and telegraphist before entering politics.

Frank Forde transferred to the House of Representatives at the 1922 federal election, winning the Division of Capricornia.

Frank Forde was an assistant minister and minister in the Scullin government from 1929 to 1932, and was largely responsible for the government's policy of tariff increases during the Great Depression.

Frank Forde entered the cabinet in 1931 as Minister for Trade and Customs.

Frank Forde was expected to become party leader after Scullin's retirement in 1935 but lost to John Curtin by one vote.

Frank Forde returned to cabinet in 1941 as Minister for the Army in the Curtin government, and as the de facto deputy prime minister was one of the government's most prominent figures.

When John Curtin died in office in 1945, Frank Forde was appointed prime minister to serve while the Labor Party elected a new leader.

Frank Forde contested the leadership ballot against Ben Chifley and Norman Makin, but Chifley emerged victorious.

Frank Forde continued on as deputy leader and army minister in the Chifley government, but lost his seat at the 1946 election.

Frank Forde then was High Commissioner to Canada from 1947 to 1953.

Frank Forde attempted to re-enter federal parliament in 1954, but was unsuccessful.

Frank Forde died at the age of 92, and was accorded a state funeral.

Frank Forde was born on 18 July 1890 in Mitchell, Queensland.

Frank Forde was the second of six children born to Ellen and John Forde.

Frank Forde's father was working as a grazier at the time of his birth, and later worked as a railway supervisor.

Frank Forde began his education at the local state school and later boarded at St Mary's College, Toowoomba.

Frank Forde later moved to Brisbane to work as a telegraphist for the Postmaster-General's Department, at the same time studying electrical engineering.

Frank Forde was involved with the Australian Natives' Association, the Australian Workers' Union, and the Rockhampton Workers' Political Organisation, and helped campaign for the "No" vote in the conscription referendums of 1916 and 1917.

Frank Forde joined the Labor Party in 1915, at the urging of state MP James Larcombe, who became his mentor.

Frank Forde was re-elected to Rockhampton at the 1918 and 1920 state elections.

Frank Forde was a supporter of the Central Queensland Separation Movement, one of the many new state movements active around that time.

In October 1922, Frank Forde resigned from state parliament to run in the Division of Capricornia at the 1922 federal election.

Frank Forde was successful, defeating Nationalist incumbent and Labor defector William Higgs.

Frank Forde took his seat in the House of Representatives at the age of 32, becoming one of the youngest members of the new parliament.

Frank Forde soon became known as a champion of the sugar and cotton industries.

Frank Forde remained the only Queenslander in the ALP caucus until August 1928, when John MacDonald was appointed to a casual vacancy in the Senate.

In 1927, Frank Forde was appointed as his Labor Party's representative to the Royal Commission on the Moving Picture Industry.

Frank Forde was elected to the Scullin Ministry as an assistant minister, and was appointed to the Committee of Public Accounts.

Frank Forde oversaw the Department of Trade and Customs in Fenton's absence, and deputised for Parker Moloney, the Minister for Markets and Transport.

Frank Forde remained loyal to the Scullin government during the ALP split of 1931, supporting the Premiers' Plan.

When Fenton and Joseph Lyons resigned from cabinet in February 1931, Frank Forde was elected to one of the vacancies and appointed Minister for Trade and Customs.

Frank Forde was the "principal architect" of the Scullin government's policy of high tariffs, which aimed to reduce the effect of the Great Depression on secondary industries.

Frank Forde introduced what The Canberra Times called a "tariff extravaganza", and was known as a staunch protectionist.

Frank Forde was a supporter of the emerging Australian motion picture industry.

Frank Forde was "shamelessly cultivated as a good friend of Efftee, with an open invitation to look in on shooting and mingle with the stars".

However, at the 1930 ALP Federal Conference, attempts to censure Frank Forde failed, and a watered down resolution was passed supporting freedom of expression but allowing for censorship of "licentious and pornographic literature".

Frank Forde later authorised the banning of Frederic Manning's The Middle Parts of Fortune, overriding departmental advice, and refused an appeal from Jean Devanny to unban her novel The Butcher Shop.

When Scullin retired in 1935, Frank Forde contested the leadership ballot but was defeated by one vote by John Curtin, eleven votes to ten.

In 1940, Frank Forde was one of three Labor MPs elected to the bipartisan Advisory War Council, along with Curtin and Norman Makin.

Frank Forde was a loyal deputy, and in 1941 when Labor returned to power he became Minister for the Army, a vital role in wartime.

Frank Forde was the de facto Deputy Prime Minister, but was disappointed not to be appointed Treasurer in the new government; that position was instead awarded to Ben Chifley.

Frank Forde chaired the War Cabinet and Advisory War Council when Curtin was ill or absent, and was Acting Prime Minister on a number of occasions.

Frank Forde strongly opposed the Brisbane Line proposal, which would have seen a strategic withdrawal of troops from northern Australia in the event of a Japanese invasion.

Frank Forde did begin to release enemy alien internees in 1944 on the grounds they were needed for food production, although many remained in detention until the end of the war.

Frank Forde supported the principle that detainees could become naturalised citizens after the war's end, and opposed suggestions that Japanese prisoners-of-war who died in Australia should not be buried in the same cemeteries as Australians.

In March 1942, Frank Forde authorised the internment of twenty people connected with the Australia First Movement, including writer Percy Stephensen and suffragette Adela Pankhurst, announcing in parliament that the detainees intended to collaborate with the Japanese and had plans to carry out industrial sabotage and political assassinations.

Frank Forde was appointed as prime minister with the understanding that he would resign if the Labor Party elected someone other than him as leader at its next caucus meeting.

Frank Forde is the only Australian prime minister to have never led a political party.

Frank Forde remained Minister for the Army and Minister for Defence, having assumed the latter portfolio after Curtin's death.

Frank Forde handled the issue in a way that was unpopular with the general public, refusing appeals to release servicemen early but making public statements about the rate of demobilisation that turned out to be inaccurate.

At the 1946 election, Frank Forde unexpectedly lost his seat to the Liberal candidate Charles Davidson, a returned soldier.

Frank Forde suffered a 10-point swing against him, compared with a nationwide 0.2-point swing against the Labor Party.

In November 1946, it was announced that Frank Forde would become the new High Commissioner to Canada, cutting short the term of Alfred Stirling.

Frank Forde's appointment was the "first major executive act of the new Federal Cabinet" after the election.

In February 1954, Frank Forde nominated for ALP preselection for the Division of Wide Bay, following the withdrawal of the previous endorsed candidate.

Frank Forde was defeated at the 1954 federal election, in a seat which the Country Party had held since 1928.

Frank Forde is the only Prime Minister who later served in a State Parliament.

At the 1957 Queensland state election the Labor Party split resulted not only in Labor falling from power, but in Frank Forde being defeated in his own seat by Bill Longeran of the Country Party by one vote.

Frank Forde disputed the result and the election was declared void on 4 March 1958.

In 1962, Frank Forde was nominated for Labor preselection for the Senate vacancy caused by the death of Max Poulter.

Frank Forde received three out of 66 votes in the ballot, with his age probably a factor in his low tally.

Frank Forde retired to Brisbane where he devoted himself to Catholic charity work.

On 11 April 1964, at the request of Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Frank Forde represented Australia at MacArthur's funeral in Norfolk, Virginia.

Frank Forde was the last surviving member of the Scullin, Curtin and his own Cabinet.

Frank Forde was the only deputy Labor leader who served under three leaders until Jenny Macklin.

Frank Forde married Veronica Catherine O'Reilly in 1925 and they had four children:.