Sir John Oscar Cramer (18 February 1896 – 18 May 1994) was an Australian politician, representing the Liberal Party, of which he was a founding member.
The Honourable Sir John Cramer | |
---|---|
Minister for the Army | |
In office 28 February 1956 – 18 December 1963 | |
Preceded by | Eric Harrison |
Succeeded by | Dr. Jim Forbes |
Member of the Australian Parliamentfor Bennelong | |
In office 10 December 1949 – 11 April 1974 | |
Preceded by | Division created |
Succeeded by | John Howard |
Mayor of North Sydney | |
In office 20 December 1939 – 6 December 1941 | |
Deputy | George Fowle |
Preceded by | James Stanton |
Succeeded by | George Fowle |
Personal details | |
Born | John Oscar Cramer 18 February 1896 Quirindi, New South Wales |
Died | 18 May 1994 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 98)
Political party | Liberal |
Spouse(s) | Dame Mary Therese Cramer (1893–1984); four children |
Political career
Cramer was elected as Mayor of North Sydney in 1939 and served until his defeat as an alderman at the December 1941 municipal elections.[1][2] From 1935 to 1956, Cramer served on the Sydney County Council (3rd/4th Constituency).[3] In 1939 and 1945, he was elected Deputy Chairman, and was later elected for three terms as Chairman of the County Council (1946–1947; 1948–1950).[4][5][6][7][8][9]
He was elected to the House of Representatives as the inaugural representative of the seat of Bennelong on its creation in 1949. In 1956, the Prime Minister Robert Menzies appointed him Minister for the Army, a portfolio he held until 1963.[10][11]
On 23 January 1956, on his appointment as army minister Cramer resigned his 4th Constituency seat on the county council.[12][13]
Cramer was the only Catholic in the Liberal Party parliamentary team, a fact Menzies would often joke about.[14]
In 1964 he was created a Knight Bachelor.[15] He retired from parliament before the 1974 election, and was succeeded by John Howard (later to become Prime Minister). He died on 18 May 1994, aged 98.
Personal life
In 1922 he married Mary Therese Earls, a teacher, and his elder by two and a half years. The couple had four children: John, Erle, Bronwyn and Leonie.[16] For her four decades of service as a charity worker and community activist, Lady Cramer was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971.
Dame Mary Cramer predeceased her husband by almost a decade, dying on 23 September 1984 (aged 91).[17]
Writings
- Cramer, John (1989). Pioneers, politics and people: a political memoir. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-04-442104-7.
References
- ^ "MAYORAL ELECTIONS". The Sydney Morning Herald (31, 812). New South Wales, Australia. 15 December 1939. p. 16. Retrieved 9 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "LABOUR LOSES CITY POLL". The Sydney Morning Herald (32, 432). New South Wales, Australia. 8 December 1941. p. 8. Retrieved 9 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "FOURTH TERM IN ROW". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 10 January 1945. p. 7. Retrieved 8 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "McElhone Chairman". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 23 January 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 8 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 16 January 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 4 March 2017 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "New Chairman Of County Council". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 15 January 1946. p. 5. Retrieved 7 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "SYDNEY COUNTY COUNCIL". Construction. New South Wales, Australia. 30 January 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 7 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "County Council Chairman Elected". National Advocate. New South Wales, Australia. 21 January 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 7 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Tie-up charge in County Council election". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 20 January 1948. p. 2. Retrieved 7 March 2021 – via National Library of Australia. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "The Hon John Howard MP, Member for Bennelong (NSW), First Speech To Parliament". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 26 September 1974. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ MAYORAL ELECTIONS
- ^ "Army Minister Leaves Council". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 January 1956. p. 4.
- ^ "The Sydney County Council - Extraordinary Election". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 March 1956. p. 15.
- ^ Abjorensen, Norman. "Australia's great political shift". Inside Story. School of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities, Swinburne University of Technology. Retrieved 31 July 2017. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ "Cramer, John Oscar". It's an Honour. Retrieved 28 August 2007. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^ Earls Family Chronicles
- ^ "Cramer, Dame Mary Therese". Australian Women. National Foundation for Australian Women. Retrieved 28 August 2007. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
Civic offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by James Street Stanton | Deputy Mayor of North Sydney 1937 – 1939 | Succeeded by George Augustus Fowle |
Preceded by James Street Stanton | Mayor of North Sydney 1939 – 1941 | Succeeded by George Augustus Fowle |
Government offices | ||
New title | Councillor of the Sydney County Council 3rd Constituency 1935 – 1949 | Succeeded by Reginald William Bieler Thomas Hogan |
New title | Councillor of the Sydney County Council 4th Constituency 1949 – 1956 Served alongside: William Parker Henson | Succeeded by George Ivan Ferris |
Preceded by Stanley Parry | Deputy Chairman of the Sydney County Council 1939 – 1940 | Succeeded by Stanley Parry |
Preceded by Arthur McElhone | Deputy Chairman of the Sydney County Council 1945 – 1946 | Succeeded by Arthur McElhone |
Preceded by Arthur McElhone | Chairman of the Sydney County Council 1946 – 1947 | Succeeded by Frank Grenville Pursell |
Preceded by Frank Grenville Pursell | Chairman of the Sydney County Council 1948 – 1950 | Succeeded by William Parker Henson |
Parliament of Australia | ||
New division | Member for Bennelong 1949 – 1974 | Succeeded by John Howard |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Eric Harrison | Minister for the Army 1956 – 1963 | Succeeded by James Forbes |