Frank Forde

Francis Michael Forde (July 18 1890 - January 28 1983) was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia.

He was born at Mitchell in Queensland, where his father was a grazier (the Australian term for rancher). He was educated at Catholic schools and became a teacher. Settling in Rockhampton he became active in the Labor Party and in workers education groups. In 1917 he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as Labor MP for Rockhampton. In 1922 he resigned and was elected to the House of Representatives for Capricornia.

Frank Forde soon advanced in the Labor ranks and when Labor won the 1929 elections he became Assistant Minister for Trade and Customs in the Scullin government. In the last days of the government he became Minister for Trade and Customs. As one of the few senior Labor MPs to survive defeat at the 1931 elections he became Deputy Opposition Leader in 1932. When Scullin retired in 1935, Forde contested the leadership ballot but was defeated by one vote by John Curtin, mainly because he had supported Scullin's economic policies.

Forde was a loyal deputy, and in 1941 when Labor returned to power he became Minister for the Army, a vital role in wartime. In 1945 Curtin died, and as Deputy Leader Forde was commissioned by the Governor-General as Prime Minister on 6 July. He again contested the leadership, but was defeated by Ben Chifley. He left office on 13 July, but remained as Deputy Leader, and became Minister for Defence in the Chifley government. In this role he was much criticised for the slowness with which Army personnel were being demobilised. As a result, he lost his seat at the 1946 elections.

Chifley appointed Forde High Commissioner to Canada, a role he filled until 1953. He returned to Australia and tried to re-enter Parliament at the 1954 elections, but was defeated. In 1955 he returned to the Queensland state Parliament as MP for Flinders. But in 1957 the Labor split of the 1950s caused him to be defeated: otherwise he would probably have become Labor leader in Queensland.

Forde retired to Brisbane where he devoted himself to Catholic charity work. He died in 1983. He was the shortest-serving Prime Minister in Australian history. He was the longest lived Australian Prime Minister, living to the age of 92 years, six months and ten days. He had one of the unluckiest careers in Australian political history, twice narrowly missing becoming Prime Minister.