Bill Neilson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Hon. Bill Neilson AC | |
|
34th Premier of Tasmania
|
|
|---|---|
| In office March 31, 1975 – December 1, 1977 |
|
| Preceded by | Eric Reece |
| Succeeded by | Doug Lowe |
| Constituency | Franklin |
|
|
|
| Born | August 27, 1925 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
| Died | November 9, 1989 (aged 64) Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse | Jill Benjamin |
William Arthur (Bill) Neilson AC (August 27, 1925 – November 9, 1989) was Premier of Tasmania from March 31, 1975 to December 1, 1977. Born in Hobart and educated at Ogilvie High School, Neilson became a clerk, and married Jill Benjamin, daughter of Phyllis Benjamin, in Melbourne in 1948, they had one son Andrew and three daughters, Christine, Carol and Robin.
Neilson was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly on November 23, 1946 at the age of 21 – for many years he was the youngest MHA to be elected in Tasmania.[1] He held various ministerial portfolios, from Tourism in 1956 to Attorney-General. He was Minister for Education for over ten years from 1958 to 1969, and again from 1972 to 1974. He was made Attorney-General again on 12 April 1974, and five days later was also made Deputy Premier, Police Minister and Environment Minister.[2] When the Premier, Eric Reece was forced to retire due to his age, Neilson was elected Tasmanian leader of the ALP, and Premier of Tasmania on 31 March 1975.
After his term as Premier, Neilson accepted the position as Agent-General for Tasmania in London. In the 1980s, he wrote as a theatre critic for The Mercury newspaper in Hobart.
[edit] References
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eric Reece |
Premier of Tasmania 1975 – 1977 |
Succeeded by Doug Lowe |
|
|||||||
 |
This article about an Australian Labor Party politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
