Robert Menzies

The Right Honourable Sir Robert Menzies KT AK CH QC FAA FRS
Menzies in the 1950s
12th Prime Minister of Australia
In office 19 December 1949 – 26 January 1966
Monarchs	George VI Elizabeth II
Governors‑General	Sir William McKell Sir William Slim Viscount Dunrossil Viscount De L'Isle Lord Casey
Deputy	Sir Arthur Fadden Sir John McEwen
Preceded by	Ben Chifley
Succeeded by	Harold Holt
In office 26 April 1939 – 29 August 1941
Monarch	George VI
Governor‑General	Lord Gowrie
Deputy	Sir Earle Page Archie Cameron Sir Arthur Fadden
Preceded by	Sir Earle Page
Succeeded by	Sir Arthur Fadden
Leader of the Opposition
In office 23 September 1943 – 19 December 1949
Prime Minister	John Curtin Frank Forde Ben Chifley
Deputy	Sir Arthur Fadden
Preceded by	Sir Arthur Fadden
Succeeded by	Ben Chifley
1st Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 21 February 1945 – 20 January 1966
Deputy	Sir Eric Harrison Harold Holt
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Harold Holt
Leader of the United Australia Party
In office 22 September 1943 – 21 February 1945
Preceded by	Billy Hughes
Succeeded by	Position abolished
In office 18 April 1939 – 9 October 1941
Preceded by	Joseph Lyons
Succeeded by	Billy Hughes
Deputy Leader of the United Australia Party
In office 4 December 1935 – 20 March 1939
Leader	Joseph Lyons
Preceded by	John Latham
Succeeded by	Billy Hughes
Member of the Australian Parliament for Kooyong
In office 15 September 1934 – 17 February 1966
Preceded by	Sir John Latham
Succeeded by	Andrew Peacock
1st Deputy Premier of Victoria
In office 19 May 1932 – 31 July 1934
Premier	Sir Stanley Argyle
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ian Macfarlan
Attorney-General of Victoria
In office 19 May 1932 – 24 July 1934
Premier	Sir Stanley Argyle
Preceded by	Ian Macfarlan
Succeeded by	Sir Albert Bussau
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Nunawading
In office 30 November 1929 – 31 July 1934
Preceded by	Edmund Greenwood
Succeeded by	William Boyland
Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for East Yarra Province
In office 2 June 1928 – 11 November 1929
Preceded by	George Swinburne
Succeeded by	Sir Clifden Eager
Personal details
Born	Robert Gordon Menzies (1894-12-20)20 December 1894 Jeparit, Colony of Victoria, British Empire
Died	15 May 1978(1978-05-15) (aged 83) Malvern, Victoria, Australia
Resting place	Melbourne General Cemetery
Political party	Liberal (from 1945) United Australia (1931–1945) Nationalist (to 1931)
Spouse	Pattie Leckie ​ (m. 1920)​
Children	4
Parents	James Menzies (father) Kate Sampson (mother)
Relatives	Frank (brother) Sydney Sampson (uncle) Hugh (uncle) Douglas (cousin) Peter Henderson (son-in-law) Catherine Anne Money (niece)
Education	Jeparit State School Grenville College, Ballarat
Alma mater	Wesley College, University of Melbourne
Profession	Lawyer Politician
Signature
Robert Menzies's voice Menzies on the Petrov Affair Recorded 25 October 1970

This article is part of a series about Robert Menzies
Early life State politics Member for Kooyong (1934–1966) 1938 Dalfram dispute United Australia Party spills 1939 1943 Prime Minister of Australia First term of government (1939–1941) Entry into WW2 Advisory War Council Liberal Party foundation Second term of government (1949–1966) ANZUS Communist Party ban 1951 Communist Party ban referendum Petrov Affair Royal Commission on Espionage Entry into Vietnam War Ministries First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Elections 1940 1946 1949 1951 1953 (Half-Senate) 1954 1955 1958 1961 1963 1964 (Half-Senate) The Forgotten People
v t e

This article is part of a series on
Liberalism in Australia
People Chipp Cowan Deakin Higinbotham Menzies Smith Syme Turnbull Wentworth West Wise
Parties (active) Democrats Country Liberal Liberal Liberal Democrats
Parties (defunct) Australian Patriotic Association (1835) Women's National League (1904) Liberal (1909) Free Trade (1887) New Liberal Movement (1976) Liberal Federation (1923) Liberal Movement (1973) Protectionist Party (1887)
Think tanks Menzies Research Centre Centre for Independent Studies
Related topics Conservatism in Australia Liberal Party factions: Centre Right Moderates Neoliberalism Politics of Australia
Liberalism portal Australia portal

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies KT AK CH QC FAA FRS (20 December 1894 – 15 May 1978) was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th prime minister of Australia from 1939 to 1941 and from 1949 to 1966. He held office as the leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) in his first term, and subsequently as the inaugural leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, which he was responsible for establishing and defining in policy and political outreach. He is the longest-serving prime minister in Australian history.

Menzies studied law at the University of Melbourne and became one of Melbourne's leading lawyers. He was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1932 to 1934, and then transferred to Federal Parliament, subsequently becoming Attorney-General of Australia and Minister for Industry in the government of Joseph Lyons. In April 1939, following Lyons's death, Menzies was elected leader of the United Australia Party (UAP) and sworn in as prime minister. He authorised Australia's entry into World War II in September 1939, and spent four months in England to participate in meetings of Churchill's war cabinet. On his return to Australia in August 1941, Menzies found that he had lost the support of his party and consequently resigned as prime minister. He subsequently helped to create the new Liberal Party, and was elected its inaugural leader in August 1945.

At the 1949 federal election, Menzies led the Liberal–Country coalition to victory and returned as prime minister. His appeal to the home and family, promoted via reassuring radio talks, matched the national zeitgeist as the economy grew and middle-class values prevailed; the Australian Labor Party's support had also been eroded by Cold War scares. After 1955, his government also received support from the Democratic Labor Party, a breakaway group from the Labor Party. Menzies won seven consecutive elections during his second period, eventually retiring as prime minister in January 1966. Despite the failures of his first administration, his government is remembered for its development of Australia's capital city of Canberra, its expanded post-war immigration scheme, emphasis on higher education, and national security policies, which saw Australia contribute troops to the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, and the Vietnam War.