Frank Wise

Frank Joseph Scott Wise AO (30 May 1897 – 29 June 1986) was a Labor Party politician who was the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 July 1945 in the closing stages of the Second World War, following the resignation of his predecessor due to ill health. He lost the following election two years later to the Liberal Party after Labor had held office for fourteen years previously.


Frank Wise

AO
16th Premier of Western Australia
In office
31 July 1945  1 April 1947
GovernorSir James Mitchell
Preceded byJohn Willcock
Succeeded byRoss McLarty
Administrator of the Northern Territory
In office
1 July 1951  30 June 1956
Preceded byArthur Driver
Succeeded byJames Archer
Member of the Legislative Assembly
of Western Australia
In office
8 April 1933  9 July 1951
Preceded byEdward Angelo
Succeeded byNoel Butcher
ConstituencyGascoyne
Member of the Legislative Council
of Western Australia
In office
22 September 1956  21 May 1971
Preceded byDon Barker
Succeeded byBill Withers
ConstituencyNorth Province
Personal details
Born(1897-05-30)30 May 1897
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Died29 June 1986(1986-06-29) (aged 89)
Cottesloe, Western Australia, Australia
Political partyLabor

Wise was a farmer for several years in Queensland before working in the Department of Agriculture in that state. He later moved to Western Australia as a technical adviser in the Western Australian Department of Agriculture and in 1928 was commissioned to report and advise on tropical agriculture in the Northern Territory and the North West of Western Australia.

In the 1933 state election which saw future Premiers Albert Hawke and John Tonkin also win seats, Wise successfully contested the seat of Gascoyne (now merged into Murchison-Eyre) in the state's lower house for the Labor Party. In 1936 he moved to the front bench as Minister for Agriculture and the North-West.

For reasons of ill health, John Willcock resigned his premiership on 31 July 1945 and Wise was elected into the position. Wise held the position for only two years until the 1947 election when his party lost to the Liberals headed by Sir Ross McLarty.

He was Leader of the Opposition for the next four years before taking up the position of Administrator of the Northern Territory and President of the Northern Territory Legislative Council (now replaced with the unicameral Northern Territory Legislative Assembly).

In 1942, botanist Charles Gardner named the Australian shrub Acacia wiseana in his honour.

In the 1979 Australia Day honours list, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to politics.[1]

References

  • "Frank Joseph Scott Wise (Australian Labor Party)". Constitutional centre for Western Australia. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
Parliament of Western Australia
Preceded by
Edward Angelo
MLA for Gascoyne
1933–1951
Succeeded by
Noel Butcher
Preceded by
Don Barker
MLC for North Province
1956–1971
Succeeded by
Bill Withers
Political offices
Preceded by
John Willcock
Premier
1945–1947
Succeeded by
Ross McLarty
Preceded by
John Willcock
Treasurer
1945–1947
Succeeded by
Ross McLarty
Preceded by
Harold Millington
Minister for Agriculture
1935–1945
Succeeded by
John Tonkin
Preceded by
Harold Millington
Minister for the North-West
1935–1936
Abolished
Preceded by
Harold Millington
Minister for Police
1936–1937
Succeeded by
William Kitson
Preceded by
Harold Millington
Minister for Education
1936–1939
Succeeded by
William Kitson
Preceded by
Frank Troy
Minister for Lands
1939–1945
Succeeded by
Alexander Panton
Preceded by
Albert Hawke
Minister for Industrial Development
1958–1959
Succeeded by
Charles Court
Preceded by
Gilbert Fraser
Minister for Local Government
1958–1959
Succeeded by
Les Logan
Preceded by
Gilbert Fraser
Minister for Town Planning
1958–1959
Succeeded by
Les Logan
Government offices
Preceded by
Arthur Driver
Administrator of the Northern Territory
1951–1956
Succeeded by
James Archer
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