Bob Heffron
Australian politician and Premier of NSW
Died when: 87 years 320 days (1054 months)Star Sign: Virgo
Robert James Heffron (10 September 1890 – 27 July 1978), also known as Bob Heffron or R.J.Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964.
Born in New Zealand, Heffron became involved in various Socialist and labour movements in New Zealand and later Australia before joining the Australian Labor Party.
Being a prominent unionist organiser, having been gaoled at one stage for "conspiracy to strike action", he was eventually elected to the Parliament of New South Wales for Botany in 1930.
However his disputes with party leader Jack Lang led to his expulsion from the ALP in 1936 and Heffron formed his own party from disgruntled Labor MPs known as the Industrial Labor Party.
The success of his party enabled his readmission to the party and his prominence in a post-Lang NSW Branch which won office in 1941.
Heffron served as Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of William McKell, James McGirr and Joseph Cahill, most notably as Minister for Education from 1944 to 1960 and as Deputy Premier.
In his significant tenure as minister for education Heffron oversaw significant reforms through his commissioning of the "Wyndham Report" and the consequent Public Education Act of 1961, and a massive expansion of the state's public schools.
He also oversaw the development of higher education services, including the establishment of the New South Wales University of Technology (now the University of New South Wales).
Rising to become premier in 1959, he spearheaded a final attempt to abolish the New South Wales Legislative Council via referendum in 1961, which ended in failure.
Serving as premier until 1964, Heffron was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 37 years until his retirement on 23 January 1968.
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Australian politician and Premier of NSW
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Australian politician and Premier of NSW
Australian politician and Premier of NSW