K. E. Beazley

Biography

Kim Edward Beazley AO was an Australian politician and member of the Australian Labor Party. Born in Northam, Western Australia in 1903 and educated at Perth Modern, Beazley grew up in Fremantle and worked as a teacher. He later studied politics at the University of Western Australia and achieved a Master of Arts with honours from the Australian National University. Beazley joined the Australian Labor Party and, in 1945, at the age of 27, became the youngest federal Member of Parliament when elected as the Member for the electoral Division of Fremantle in the House of Representatives, a seat which he would hold for 32 years. Under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Beazley served as the Minister for Education. Beazley stayed on as shadow minister for education after Whitlam's defeat in the 1975 election. Following the exposure of the Iraqi breakfast affair in 1976, Beazley called for Whitlam's resignation. When he refused, Beazley resigned from the shadow cabinet. He retired from his seat and from politics before the 1977 election. In 1979, Beazley was awarded the Order of Australia. In 1983, he headed a year long Committee of Inquiry into Education in Western Australia, which would provide the foundation for the future of the state's education. Kim Beazley died in 2007. He was survived by three children: Kim Christian Beazley, Merrilyn Beazley and David Beazley. Kim would enter politics himself and serve as the Member for Swan, the Member for Brand, the Leader of the House, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.