46 Facts About Norman Makin

Norman John Oswald Makin AO was an Australian politician and diplomat.

Norman Makin was a member of the Australian Labor Party and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives, a cabinet minister during World War II, the inaugural President of the United Nations Security Council, and as Australian Ambassador to the United States.

Norman Makin trained as a patternmaker and was an officeholder in the Amalgamated Society of Engineers.

Norman Makin was an anti-conscriptionist during the 1916 ALP split and subsequently served as state president from 1918 to 1919.

Norman Makin was first elected to the House of Representatives at the 1919 federal election.

Norman Makin unsuccessfully sought the ALP leadership on two occasions.

In 1946 Norman Makin was chosen to lead the inaugural Australian delegation to the United Nations and subsequently became Australian ambassador to the United States.

Norman Makin returned to federal parliament at the 1954 election, eventually retiring at the 1963 election after over 36 years as an MP.

Norman Makin was born on 31 March 1889 in Petersham, New South Wales.

Norman Makin was the son of Elizabeth and John Hulme Makin, who had immigrated from Lancashire, England.

Norman Makin's family moved to Melbourne in 1891 and to Broken Hill in 1898, where he attended Broken Hill Superior Public School.

Norman Makin was largely self-educated and became a keen reader, and was involved in local debating and literary societies.

At eighteen, Norman Makin undertook an apprenticeship in pattern-making and engineering, and was employed in various mines; he joined the Amalgamated Society of Engineers.

Norman Makin moved to Adelaide in 1911, and married Ruby Florence Jennings on 10 August 1912.

Norman Makin had difficulty finding work at times due to his political activities, and returned to Broken Hill for a period, but returned to Adelaide in 1914 to work at Gray Bros.

Norman Makin was an unsuccessful Labor candidate for Barossa at the 1915 state election, reportedly riding over 2000 miles during the campaign, and again for Wakefield at the 1917 federal election.

Norman Makin publicly campaigned against conscription during World War I, and was president of the South Australian branch of the Labor Party from 1918 to 1919, in the aftermath of the 1916 Labor split over the issue.

Norman Makin was a lifelong Methodist, and in 1977 received a certificate from the church commending him on having been a lay preacher for seventy years.

Norman Makin was elected to the House of Representatives for Hindmarsh at the 1919 federal election, defeating Nationalist MP and 1916 Labor defector William Archibald in an acrimonious campaign.

Norman Makin was re-elected without difficulty in 1922,1925 and 1928, reverting Hindmarsh to its traditional status as a safe Labor seat.

Norman Makin spent ten years in Opposition before the election of the Scullin Labor government in 1929.

Norman Makin was described as having been a "well-respected" Speaker, and was commended for his "dignity and impartiality" as Speaker as the 1931 Labor split unfolded.

At the 1931 federal election, Norman Makin was the only Labor member elected from South Australia.

Norman Makin stood for leader of the Labor Party in 1935, following Scullin's resignation, but received only two votes.

Norman Makin shifted his vote to John Curtin on the second ballot, allowing him to win by a single vote over Frank Forde.

Norman Makin was one of the three Labor members on the Advisory War Council from October 1940.

Norman Makin established good relations with service chiefs and played an important role in Australia's successful transition to a wartime economy, and later advocated for munitions factories to be retained in government control and adapted to civilian use to boost post-war manufacturing.

When Curtin died in 1945, Norman Makin contested the leadership ballot along with Ben Chifley and caretaker Prime Minister Frank Forde.

Norman Makin was unsuccessful, winning only seven votes out of 70 caucus members.

Norman Makin had sought a diplomatic post as early as 1944 and had been in consideration for the positions of High Commissioner to Canada and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, but he had been convinced by Curtin that he could not be spared.

The selection of Norman Makin was nonetheless criticised by the opposition and some media due to a perception that he lacked experience in external affairs and did not have the stature of a figure such as Evatt.

On 14 January 1946, the day Norman Makin arrived in London, Australia won a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council; as the provisional rules appointed the body's president by rotation among members in alphabetical order, Norman Makin became the first President of the United Nations Security Council from 17 January to 16 February that year and presided over its first meeting.

Norman Makin described it as "the most impressive day of my life".

Norman Makin's presidency included responses to the Iran crisis of 1946, the Indonesian National Revolution and the presence of British troops in Greece, and the appointment of the first Secretary-General.

Norman Makin again served as President of the Security Council when the presidency returned to Australia in January 1947.

In June 1946, Chifley announced that Norman Makin would be appointed as Australian Ambassador to the United States, a decision that had been expected since December 1945, while elevating the position in rank from resident minister.

Norman Makin retained his Cabinet posts until the 1946 election, reportedly because Chifley was unsure whether his desired successor would replace Makin.

The teetotal Norman Makin found the cocktail party circuit "arduous", and although he acknowledged the opportunities for more informal diplomacy, resented the limitations of the demanding social calendar on his home life.

Norman Makin remained in the post after Labor lost government to Robert Menzies in 1949, and served until 1951.

Norman Makin opted to transfer to Bonython, a move which proved prescient; while Norman Makin won Bonython easily, Wilson retook Sturt for the Liberals almost as easily.

Norman Makin retired at the 1963 election, following an amendment to Labor Party rules that introduced a mandatory retirement age of seventy, though Makin unsuccessfully appealed the decision to the federal executive.

Norman Makin remained active in Labor affairs for many years following his retirement.

Norman Makin died in 1982 at the age of 93, at Glenelg, where he had spent his last years in a Uniting Church aged care home, and was cremated.

Norman Makin was the second-last surviving member of the Curtin Cabinet behind Frank Forde, who died the following year.

Norman Makin was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 1980 Australia Day Honours.

The House of Representatives electorate of Norman Makin, established in 1984 in Adelaide's northeastern suburbs, is named after him.