John Lawson

John Norman Lawson (24 March 1897 – 14 August 1956) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the United Australia Party (UAP) and served in federal parliament from 1931 to 1940, representing the Division of Macquarie in New South Wales. He was Minister for Trade and Customs in the first Menzies Government from 1939 to 1940. Early life Born in Sydney to James Lawson and Eleanor, née Day, he was educated at Sydney Boys' High School, and the University of Sydney. He worked as a veterinarian in New Zealand from 1920 until 1926, when he bought Kidgery, a sheep station near Nyngan, New South Wales. He married Jessie Alicia Orchard, daughter of Richard Orchard, in 1925. Politics In 1930, Lawson unsuccessfully stood as a Nationalist candidate for the seat of Cobar in an attempt to enter the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He was later endorsed by the United Australia Party to contest the federal seat of Macquarie, held by Ben Chifley, the Labor Minister for Defence. In a surprising result, Lawson defeated Chifley by 456 votes, having been helped by the split of the Labor vote between Chifley and the Lang Labor candidate, Tony Luchetti. Lawson was a vocal supporter of the proposal to establish a shale-oil undertaking at Newnes, near Lithgow, and in 1934 he increased his margin in Macquarie substantially. He was part of the delegation to the coronation of King George V, and was assistant to the treasurer Richard Casey and then the minister for industry Robert Menzies. When Menzies resigned in protest at Prime Minister Joseph Lyons' refusal to proceed with a scheme for national insurance, the loyal Lawson resigned his portfolios too. Upon Lyons' death in 1939, Menzies, as the new Prime Minister, was able to reward Lawson's devotion by appointing him minister for trade and customs.