Sir John Grey Gorton was an Australian politician, farmer and airman who served as the 19th prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, having previously been a senator for Victoria. He was the first and only member of the upper house of the Parliament of Australia to assume the office of prime minister.
Gorton in 1968
Gorton as a toddler in 1913
Gorton as a child and his mother Alice in 1915
Gorton (seated, left) with other senior students and a teacher at Geelong Grammar School, about 1930
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet and thus heads the federal executive government. Under the principles of responsible government, the prime minister is both a member and responsible to Parliament. The current prime minister is Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party, who assumed the office on 23 May 2022.
Prime Minister of Australia
Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton, at the central table in the House of Representatives in 1901.
John Gorton being sworn in as the 19th Prime Minister on 10 January 1968. To date, Gorton is the only Senator to have served as Prime Minister, though he would swiftly move to the House of Representatives as the member for Higgins.
Prime ministers Curtin, Fadden, Hughes, Menzies and Governor-General The Duke of Gloucester 2nd from left, in 1945.
