Archie Michaelis
| Sir Archie Michaelis | |
|---|---|
| 22nd Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 20 June 1950 – 31 October 1952 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Maltby |
| Succeeded by | Keith Sutton |
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for St Kilda |
|
| In office 14 May 1932 – 31 October 1952 |
|
| Preceded by | Burnett Gray |
| Succeeded by | John Bourke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Archie Reuben Louis Michaelis 19 December 1889 St Kilda, Victoria |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | United Australia Party Liberal Party Liberal and Country Party |
| Spouse(s) | Claire Esther Hart (m. 1920) |
| Occupation | Company director |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1919 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | Royal Field Artillery |
Sir Archie Reuben Louis Michaelis (19 December 1889 – 22 April 1975) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1932 to 1952, representing the electorate of St Kilda for the United Australia Party and its successor. the Liberal Party.[1]
Early life
Michaelis was born in St Kilda into a wealthy Jewish family which owned the successful leather tannery Michaelis, Hallenstein & Co. The family home was the historic Linden mansion on Acland Street, now a contemporary arts centre. He attended Wesley College and Cumloden School in St Kilda, until 1903 when his family took him to England to be schooled at the Harrow School.[2]
In 1908, Michaelis returned to Melbourne, where he began working for the family business, and in 1912 he returned to England to work in the company's London office. He was in England when World War I broke out, and he immediately enlisted in the British Army,[3] serving with the Honourable Artillery Company in the Middle East and in 1916 was commissioned in the Royal Field Artillery in which he served in Ireland and Greece.[2]
Political career
At the 1932 Victorian election, Michaelis was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly representing the seat of St Kilda for the United Australia Party (later to become the Liberal Party). He was made a minister without portfolio in Ian MacFarlan's "stop-gap" ministry from October to November 1945.[4]
In June 1950, Michaelis was elected Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He was knighted in the 1952 New Year Honours.[5] In October 1952, he was one of six members of the Victorian parliament who made affidavits to Liberal and Country Party leader Les Norman that they had been offered financial and political incentives by representatives of Thomas Hollway, a disaffected MP and former Premier of Victoria, who needed parliamentary support for a planned motion of no-confidence against the governing Country Party led by John McDonald. Michaelis stated that he had been approached by a man named Raymond Ellinson, who offered him the position of Agent-General, another term as Speaker, and immunity from opposition in the next election.[6] A Royal Commission was established to investigate the charges against Hollway, but it was postponed indefinitely on a legal technicality and never reconvened. In the subsequent state election in December 1952, Michaelis was defeated by the Labor Party candidate John Bourke, and retired from politics.
References
- ↑ Michaelis, Sir Archie, Re-Member, Parliament of Victoria.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Levi, J. S., 'Michaelis, Sir Archie Reuben Louis (1889–1975)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 23 February 2012.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ It's an Honour. Retrieved 14 April 2015
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
| Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member for St Kilda 1932–1952 |
Succeeded by John Bourke |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly 1950–1952 |
Succeeded by Keith Sutton |
- Use dmy dates from June 2015
- Use Australian English from June 2015
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- 1889 births
- 1975 deaths
- Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
- Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
- Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
- United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Victoria
- Australian Knights Bachelor
- People educated at Harrow School
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Honourable Artillery Company soldiers
- Royal Field Artillery officers
- Australian Jews
- Jewish Australian politicians
