Earle Page (8 August 1880 – 20 December 1961) was Prime Minister of Australia from 7 to 26 April 1939, succeeding Joseph Lyons and preceding Robert Menzies. Page was more importantly the leader of the conservative Country Party from 1921 to 1939.
Biography[]
Earle Page was born in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia in 1880, and he graduated from the University of Sydney and became a successful surgeon. After service in World War I, he was elected to federal parliament with the endorsement of the Farmers' and Settlers' Association, whereupon he formed the Federal Country Party (now the National Party of Australia), together with ten other representatives of farming interests. Its leader from 1921, he triggered the replacement of Billy Hughes in 1923 and formed a coalition with Stanley Bruce, whose Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer he was until 1929. He reorganized federal-state budget relations, so the federal govenrment gained control over public borrowing. In opposition from 1931, he rejoined the Cabinet when Joseph Lyons lost his absolute majority in 1934, though this time he was very much a junior partner in the coalition, with much less responsibility and freedom of action than he had enjoyed under Bruce. He became caretaker Prime Minister for nineteen days upon the sudden death of Lyons in 1939, while the United Australia Party chose a successor. A few months later he lost the leadership of his party, following a strong attack on the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies. He served as Australia's representative on the British war cabinet from 1941 to 1942 and, back in Australia, was member of the Advisory War Council from 1942 to 1945. As Minister of Health from 1949 to 1956, hiis main achievement was the introduction of a national health scheme in 1953.