John Owen Stone (31 January 1929 – 17 July 2025) was an Australian public servant and politician. He was Secretary to the Treasury between 1979 and 1984, and a senator for Queensland, representing the National Party, from 1987 to 1990.
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Early life
Stone was born in Perth on 31 January 1929. He was the first of two sons born to Eva Sydney Myee (née Hunt) and Horace Joseph Stone; his father was a wheat farmer and his mother was a primary school teacher.
Stone spent most of his early childhood on his father's farming property at Korbel in the Western Australian wheatbelt. He briefly lived in Perth and attended a state school in Victoria Park, then received the rest of his primary schooling in Korbel. His parents divorced when he was 12 years old and he and his younger brother moved to Perth to live with their mother. He completed his secondary schooling at Perth Modern School on a scholarship.
Stone graduated Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Australia in 1950, with first-class honours in mathematical physics. He was president of the University of Western Australia Student Guild in 1951, defeating future prime minister Bob Hawke for the position, and also played field hockey at state level for Western Australia. Stone was named Western Australia's Rhodes Scholar for 1951. Initially continuing his studies in physics, he switched to economics after a semester and graduated Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics.