Robert Menzies

Robert Menzies married Pattie Leckie on 27 September 1920 in Melbourne. They bought a house in Howard Street, Kew that became their family home for 25 years. They had three surviving children, two sons and a daughter.

In 1971, a severe stroke left one side of his body permanently paralyzed. He endured a second stroke in 1972.

He died of a heart attack on 15 May 1978 in Melbourne. He was given Australia’s largest state funeral ever, in Scots' Church, Melbourne on 19th May.

Robert Menzies was born on 20 December 1894, to James Menzies and Kate Menzies, in Jeparit, Victoria, Australia. He was the fourth of the five children of his parents. His father, James, was a general storekeeper and community leader. In 1911, James was elected to the Victorian Parliament and moved to Melbourne with his family.

Robert was educated at Humffray Street State School in Bakery Hill, and later at Grenville College in Ballarat. He graduated from the University of Melbourne with First Class Honours in Law in 1916.

When World War I started, he was in university and held a post in the campus militia unit. However, he resigned while others of his age were trying desperately to sign up.

He was an outstanding student and won several academic prizes and scholarships. In 1916, he became the editor of the Melbourne University Magazine (MUM).

Robert Menzies was admitted to the Victorian Bar and the High Court of Australia in 1918, and specialized in Constitutional law. In 1920, he won a landmark High Court case for the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. Thereafter, he became an accomplished lawyer and was appointed a King’s Counsel in 1929.

In 1928, he became a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, representing the Nationalist Party of Australia from East Yarra Province. Soon, he became a minister without portfolio in a new minority government led by Prime Minister William McPherson. The following year, he moved to the Legislative Assembly as the member for Nunawading.

In 1929, he created his party's youth wing, Young Nationalists and became its first president. From May 1932 to July 1934, he was the Deputy Premier of Victoria. He also held the portfolios of Attorney-General and Railways.

In the 1934 Federal election, he transferred to federal politics representing the United Australia Party (UAP). He was allotted the Ministry of Industry and Attorney-General position, in Lyons’ government.

In 1937, he became a Privy Councillor. Next year, as Attorney-General of Australia, he officially visited Nazi Germany. He sincerely supported the pacification strategies of the Chamberlain government in London, and strongly believed that war should be avoided in any case. Nevertheless, increasingly he realised that the peace efforts were futile and that war was unavoidable.

He played a vital role in the formation of the Liberal Party of Australia in 1944. He curbed Chifley government’s efforts to nationalise private banks and to extend war-time control over rents and prices, in 1947.

The Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) Treaty, 1951 and South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), 1954 was signed during his prime ministership. He sent forces to both Korea and Malayan Emergency in 1950 and to Vietnam, in 1964-65.

He developed the federal capital of Canberra, and encouraged expansion of higher education. He set up the Australian Universities Commission in 1959, raised subsidies to universities, and established new universities.