Kim Beazley, senior

Kim Edward Beazley (born September 30, 1917), Australian politician, was born in Perth, Western Australia and was educated at the University of Western Australia and the Australian National University. He worked as a school teacher and university tutor before entering politics. He succeeded John Curtin as Member of the House of Representatives (MHR) for Fremantle in 1945 and held the seat until he retired in 1977, by which time he was Father of the House. A committed Christian and member of Moral Rearmament, he was prominent on the right-wing of the Labor Party during the ideological battles of the 1950s and 1960s. He was Education Minister in the Government of Gough Whitlam from 1972 to 1975. His son Kim Beazley, junior also became a prominent Labor politician.