John Cramer (Australian politician)
Sir John Cramer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 February 1896 near Quirindi, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 18 May 1994 (aged 98) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1931–1974 |
| Known for | Member for Bennelong (1949–1974), Minister for the Army (1956–1963), Mayor of North Sydney (1939–1941) |
Sir John Oscar Cramer (18 February 1896 – 18 May 1994) was an Australian entrepreneur and political figure. Representing the Liberal Party, he served in the federal parliament from 1949 until 1974 as the member for Bennelong. Between 1956 and 1963, he held the position of Minister for the Army within the Menzies administration, and earlier, he was mayor of North Sydney from 1939 to 1941.
Early life
Born near Quirindi, New South Wales on 18 February 1896, Cramer was the fourth child among six siblings of Emily Eleanor (née Cullen) and John Nicholas Cramer. His maternal lineage included Scottish and Irish roots, while his father’s heritage was German.
Raised on his family’s farm, he attended Gaspard Public School until he was fourteen years old. After leaving school, he helped with farming duties before managing a fruit store in Quirindi. In 1917, Cramer relocated to Sydney where he took a clerical position at Paramount Pictures. Together with his brother Charles, he provided musical scores for silent film screenings. By 1920, the brothers established a real estate business named Cramer Bros. in Crows Nest, part of North Sydney. Their brother Reg later joined them, and the enterprise expanded into land subdivision projects in Willoughby and collaborated with a construction company focused on apartment developments.
Early political involvement
Cramer’s political journey began amid the hardships of the Great Depression, when he became a member of the All for Australia League, which was eventually integrated into the United Australia Party (UAP). Following the UAP’s dissolution in the early 1940s, he affiliated with the Democratic Party and unsuccessfully ran for the Lane Cove seat in the 1944 New South Wales state election. He played a role in founding the Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division) and was appointed to its provisional executive committee in January 1945.
Having been elected to North Sydney Municipal Council in 1931, Cramer served as mayor from 1939 until losing his alderman seat in December 1941. From 1935 through to 1956, he was a member of the Sydney County Council representing the 3rd/4th Constituency. During this period, he held Deputy Chairman roles in 1939 and 1945 and was Chairman for three terms between 1946–1947 and 1948–1950.
Federal politics
In 1949, Cramer became the first member elected to represent the newly created seat of Bennelong in the Australian House of Representatives. Prime Minister Robert Menzies appointed him as Minister for the Army in 1956, a post he occupied until 1963. Upon assuming this ministerial role, he resigned from his position representing the 4th Constituency on the county council.
His period as army minister coincided with Australia's concluding involvement in the Malayan Emergency and events leading up to engagement in Vietnam. In 1958, Cramer toured countries in Southeast Asia and met with South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem, who had previously visited Australia in 1957.
As the sole Catholic member within the Liberal Party's parliamentary team at that time, Cramer was recognized for his staunch anti-communist views, distrust of socialism, and unwavering commitment to free-market principles. He received a knighthood as a Knight Bachelor in 1964.
Continuing as a backbencher for another decade, he expressed criticism toward Liberal leader John Gorton and advocated for his replacement by William McMahon. Cramer retired from federal politics in November 1973 and was succeeded by future prime minister John Howard at the subsequent 1974 election. He died on 18 May 1994 at age 98, distinguished as both the last serving parliamentarian born prior to Federation and as the final surviving former MP born during the nineteenth century.
Personal life
In 1922, he wed Mary Therese Earls, a teacher who was two and a half years older than him. Together, they raised four children: John, Erle, Bronwyn, and Leonie. Lady Cramer received the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971 in recognition of her more than forty years dedicated to charitable work and community involvement.
She passed away on 23 September 1984 at the age of 91, nearly ten years before him.