On his father's side, Holt was descended from James Holt, a cobbler from Birmingham, England, who arrived in New South Wales in 1829.
Australian Prime Ministers 1901–1972, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Victoria, Ch.19.
Harold Edward Holt, (5 August 190817 December 1967), was an Australian politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1966 until his disappearance in 1967.
His death was commemorated in a number of ways, among them by the establishment of the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre. == Early life == ===Birth and family background=== Holt was born on 5 August 1908 at his parents' home in Stanmore, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney.
His parents had married seven months before his birth, in January 1908.
He was the first of two sons born to Olive May (née Williams; formerly Pearce) and Thomas James Holt; his younger brother Clifford was born in 1910.
His maternal grandmother Hannah Maria Berkholz was a Barossa German born in Angaston, South Australia; she was the daughter of Carl Berkholz, born in Potsdam, Prussia. ===Education=== In 1914, Holt's parents moved to Adelaide, where his father became the licensee of a hotel in Payneham.
In late 1916, Holt was sent to live with grandparents in the country, where he briefly attended the Nubba State School.
He was the leader of the Liberal Party during that time. Holt, born in Sydney, lived in Melbourne from 1920.
In 1920, Holt began boarding at Wesley College, Melbourne.
Holt generally spent school holidays with his relatives in Nubba or with schoolmates, rather than with his parents – his father had begun working as a talent agent, touring the country on the Tivoli circuit, while his mother died in 1925.
He was 16 at the time, and was unable to attend the funeral. In 1927, Holt began studying law at the University of Melbourne, living at Queen's College on a scholarship.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1930.
He was admitted to the Victorian Bar in late 1932, and opened his own legal practice the following year.
Holt's involvement in the practice declined once he entered politics and ceased altogether in 1949, although he did not formally retire until assuming the prime ministership. ==Early political career== In 1933, Holt joined the Young Nationalists, the youth wing of the United Australia Party.
At the 1934 federal election, Holt stood for the UAP in the Division of Yarra.
He studied law at the University of Melbourne and had his own legal practice, becoming, at twenty-seven years of age, the member for Fawkner in the House of Representatives at a 1935 by-election.
Holt was eventually elected to parliament on his third attempt, winning a federal by-election for the seat of Fawkner in August 1935; his predecessor, George Maxwell, had died in office.
She accompanied Fell to India, and then in early 1935 returned to Australia where Holt again proposed marriage.
Tom Holt married Lola in 1936, and their daughter Frances (Harold's half-sister) was born in 1940; Tom Holt died in 1945. In 1937, Zara returned to Australia to give birth to her first child, Nicholas.
Tom Holt married Lola in 1936, and their daughter Frances (Harold's half-sister) was born in 1940; Tom Holt died in 1945. In 1937, Zara returned to Australia to give birth to her first child, Nicholas.
A protégé of Robert Menzies, he was a minister in the 1939 United Australia Party government.
When Robert Menzies became prime minister in April 1939, he made Holt one of four ministers without portfolio.
His replacement was Arthur Fadden, another future prime minister. ==World War II== Holt enlisted in the Militia in February 1939, joining a part-time artillery unit for businessmen and professionals.
She had two more children, twins Sam and Andrew, in 1939.
His tenure was interrupted by a brief stint in the Australian Army, which ended when he was recalled to cabinet following the deaths of three ministers in the 1940 Canberra air disaster.
Holt's first stint as a government minister came to an end in March 1940, when the coalition with the Country Party was reinstituted.
In May 1940, without resigning his seat, Holt enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force with the intent of becoming a full-time soldier.
He was appointed to the prestigious portfolios of Minister for Labour and National Service (1949–1958; he had previously served in this portfolio 1940–41) and Minister for Immigration (1949–1956), by which time he was being touted in the press as a "certain successor to Menzies and a potential Prime Minister".
Tom Holt married Lola in 1936, and their daughter Frances (Harold's half-sister) was born in 1940; Tom Holt died in 1945. In 1937, Zara returned to Australia to give birth to her first child, Nicholas.
Her marriage with Fell broke down a short time later, and in late 1940 she returned to Australia permanently and resumed a relationship with Holt.
He held a series of minor portfolios until the government's defeat in 1941.
In April 1941, Holt sponsored and oversaw the passage of the Child Endowment Act, which introduced a universal child endowment scheme; newspapers labelled him "the godfather to a million Australian children".
Menzies felt he had been betrayed, but forgave Holt and accepted his assurances that he had been acting in the best interests of the country. Holt retained his portfolios in the Fadden Government, which lasted only 40 days before being defeated on a confidence motion in October 1941.
They were the same age, and had first met in 1942, when Johnson visited Melbourne as a naval officer; afterwards they shared a similar career trajectory.
He was criticised by some for not re-joining the army, and at the 1943 election was opposed by Brigadier William Cremor, whose campaign was funded by Sydney businessmen (including Keith Murdoch).
Menzies returned as leader of the UAP in September 1943, and Holt was initially a candidate for the deputy leadership; he withdrew once former prime minister Billy Hughes entered the race.
He joined the new Liberal Party upon its creation in 1945. When the Liberals came to office in 1949, Holt became a senior figure in the new government.
He became an official member of the new party in February 1945. ==Postwar ministerial career== After eight years in opposition, the Coalition won the federal election of December 1949 and Menzies began his record-setting second period as Prime Minister.
Tom Holt married Lola in 1936, and their daughter Frances (Harold's half-sister) was born in 1940; Tom Holt died in 1945. In 1937, Zara returned to Australia to give birth to her first child, Nicholas.
They eventually married on 8 October 1946, at Zara's parents' home on St Georges Road, Toorak.
He joined the new Liberal Party upon its creation in 1945. When the Liberals came to office in 1949, Holt became a senior figure in the new government.
Holt's involvement in the practice declined once he entered politics and ceased altogether in 1949, although he did not formally retire until assuming the prime ministership. ==Early political career== In 1933, Holt joined the Young Nationalists, the youth wing of the United Australia Party.
He became an official member of the new party in February 1945. ==Postwar ministerial career== After eight years in opposition, the Coalition won the federal election of December 1949 and Menzies began his record-setting second period as Prime Minister.
He transferred to Higgins, one of several new seats created in the 1949 redistribution.
Although the conditions were ripe for industrial unrest—Communist influence in the union movement was then at its peak, and the right-wing faction in Cabinet was openly agitating for a showdown with the unions—the combination of strong economic growth and Holt's enlightened approach to industrial relations saw the number of working hours lost to strikes fall dramatically, from over two million in 1949 to just 439,000 in 1958.
He served on numerous committees and overseas delegations, he was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1953, and in 1954 he was named one of Australia's six best-dressed men.
He served on numerous committees and overseas delegations, he was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1953, and in 1954 he was named one of Australia's six best-dressed men.
They initially lived on nearby Washington Street, but in 1954 bought the St Georges Road house.
Holt was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party in 1956, and after the 1958 election replaced Arthur Fadden as Treasurer.
He also had ministerial responsibility for the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Holt fostered greater collaboration between the government, the courts, employers and trade unions.
In 1956, he was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and became Leader of the House, and from this point on, he was generally acknowledged as Menzies' heir apparent. ===Treasurer (1958–1966)=== In December 1958, following the retirement of Arthur Fadden, Holt succeeded him as Treasurer.
Holt was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party in 1956, and after the 1958 election replaced Arthur Fadden as Treasurer.
Although the conditions were ripe for industrial unrest—Communist influence in the union movement was then at its peak, and the right-wing faction in Cabinet was openly agitating for a showdown with the unions—the combination of strong economic growth and Holt's enlightened approach to industrial relations saw the number of working hours lost to strikes fall dramatically, from over two million in 1949 to just 439,000 in 1958.
In 1956, he was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and became Leader of the House, and from this point on, he was generally acknowledged as Menzies' heir apparent. ===Treasurer (1958–1966)=== In December 1958, following the retirement of Arthur Fadden, Holt succeeded him as Treasurer.
However, in 1959, inflation was running at 4.5% and Treasury was alarmed.
Holt was reluctant to act, but in November 1960 introduced a deflationary package of tax changes.
He later described 1960–61 as "my most difficult year in public life".
He oversaw the creation of the Reserve Bank of Australia and the decimal Australian dollar, but was blamed for a credit crunch that almost cost the Coalition the 1961 election.
The economy went into recession, and unemployment rose to three percent, which was considered high for the time and contrary to the government's policy of full employment. The credit squeeze brought the Coalition dangerously close to losing the 1961 election, with the Coalition being returned with a precarious one-seat majority.
Most of the deflationary measures were reversed in 1962, and unemployment dropped down to 1.5 percent by August 1963.
He was a strong supporter of Australian involvement in the war, which had begun in 1962, and accused its critics of adopting a "Lotus Land" attitude.
The firm of Holt, Graham, & Newman was dissolved in 1963, following a financial dispute and subsequently reconstituted as Holt, Newman, & Holt, with Holt's son Sam as the new addition.
Most of the deflationary measures were reversed in 1962, and unemployment dropped down to 1.5 percent by August 1963.
Departing from his prepared remarks, he said: "And so, sir, in the lonelier and perhaps even more disheartening moments which come to any national leader, I hope there will be a corner of your mind and heart which takes cheer from the fact that you have an admiring friend, a staunch friend that will be all the way with LBJ." Holt had meant it to be a "light-hearted gesture of goodwill towards a generous host", referencing the slogan used in Johnson's 1964 presidential campaign.
He said that the 1965 budget "has had the best reception yet of any in the series I have presented". ==Prime Minister (1966–1967)== Holt was sworn in as prime minister on 26 January 1966, following the retirement of Robert Menzies six days earlier.
A major drought in 1965 had led to slowdown in growth, but he was unwilling to increase public spending in case it increased inflation.
The Labor Party had only removed "White Australia" from its platform in 1965, and Opposition Leader Arthur Calwell stated he was "determined to continue to oppose, for many obvious reasons, any attempt to create a multi-racial society in our midst".
Harold Edward Holt, (5 August 190817 December 1967), was an Australian politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1966 until his disappearance in 1967.
However, the economy soon rebounded and Holt retained his place as Menzies' heir apparent. Holt became prime minister in January 1966, elected unopposed as Liberal leader following Menzies' retirement.
He said that the 1965 budget "has had the best reception yet of any in the series I have presented". ==Prime Minister (1966–1967)== Holt was sworn in as prime minister on 26 January 1966, following the retirement of Robert Menzies six days earlier.
A minor reshuffle occurred after the 1966 election, with Doug Anthony and Ian Sinclair added to cabinet and Charles Barnes demoted to the outer ministry.
The only new government department created during Holt's tenure was the Department of Education and Science, established in December 1966, which was the first federal department specific to either of those areas. ===Elections=== On 26 November 1966, Holt fought his first and only general election as prime minister, winning a somewhat unexpected landslide victory.
The Australian dollar – a legacy of Holt's period as Treasurer – came into circulation on 14 February 1966, less than a month after his prime ministership began.
There were no other important economic policy reforms made by the Holt Government, although Australia did become a founding member of the Asian Development Bank in 1966. ====Immigration==== As prime minister, Holt continued the liberalisation of immigration law that he had begun as Minister for Immigration.
In March 1966, the residency requirement for naturalisation was changed to a uniform five years; it had previously been 15 years for non-whites.
As a result, in the two years after March 1966 around 3,000 Asian immigrants were granted Australian citizenship, compared with 4,100 in the preceding two decades.
As prime minister, Holt's first overseas trip was to South-East Asia in April 1966, where he visited Malaysia, Singapore, South Vietnam, and Thailand.
He held that "unless there is security for all small nations, there cannot be security for any small nation". In March 1966, Holt announced that the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, would be withdrawn and replaced by the 1st Australian Task Force, a self-contained brigade-sized unit based at Nui Dat.
John Gorton later said it was "ironical that, being a man of peace, he should have presided over one of the greatest build-ups of military power that Australia has found itself engaged in". The government's handling of the war initially enjoyed broad public support, and was considered a key contributor to the landslide election victory in 1966 – referred to by some as a "khaki election".
twice while in office, in June and July 1966, and on the latter visit was invited to stay at Camp David.
In October 1966, Johnson made the first visit to Australia by an incumbent American president; Vice President Hubert Humphrey had visited in February of that year.
His oratory skills were vastly superior to that of Arthur Calwell, whom Holt resoundingly beat in 1966.
Harold Edward Holt, (5 August 190817 December 1967), was an Australian politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1966 until his disappearance in 1967.
His attack on Holt's family – which he refused to withdraw – was viewed as desperate and undignified, and it was pointed out that, unlike Holt, Calwell had performed no military service in World War II. In early 1967, Arthur Calwell retired as ALP leader and Gough Whitlam succeeded him.
In November 1967, the British government unexpectedly announced that it would be devaluing the pound sterling by 14 percent.
However, Holt was less circumspect outside Australia, telling British journalists that no White Australia policy existed and ordering Australian embassies to promote the changes to Asian governments and media outlets. ====Constitutional reform==== In 1967, the Holt Government amended the constitution to alter section 51 (xxvi) and remove section 127.
In September 1967, he announced that his government would use section 74 of the constitution to remove the potential for High Court cases to be appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The necessary legislation was not passed until after his death. ====The arts==== In November 1967, in one of his last major policy statements, Holt announced the establishment of the National Gallery of Australia and the Australia Council for the Arts.
In April 1967, Holt told parliament that "geographically we are part of Asia, and increasingly we have become aware of our involvement in the affairs of Asia – our greatest dangers and our highest hopes are centred in Asia's tomorrows".
He toured Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, and Taiwan in March and April 1967, and had planned to visit Burma, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Pakistan in 1968.
The most controversial of those occurred in January 1967, when Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ of South Vietnam visited on Holt's personal invitation – issued without consulting cabinet.
By the final months of Holt's prime ministership, Australia had over 8,000 personnel stationed in South Vietnam, drawn from all three branches of the Australian Defence Force; the final troop increase was announced in October 1967.
He repeatedly lobbied Wilson to maintain a strong British presence "East of Suez", in order to complement American efforts, and in early 1967 received assurances that no reduction was being contemplated.
Holt rejected this outright, and felt that Wilson had deliberately misled him as to his intentions. ===Controversies=== Holt's popularity and political standing was damaged by his perceived poor handling of a series of controversies that emerged during 1967.
One of John Gorton's first acts upon becoming Prime Minister in January 1968 was to sideline Bunting by creating a separate Department of the Cabinet Office with Bunting as its head, and replaced him with Lenox Hewitt. In November 1967, the government suffered a serious setback in the Senate election, winning just 42.8 per cent of the vote against Labor's 45 per cent.
On 17 December 1967, while Holt was spending the weekend at Portsea, he and four companions decided to drive to Point Nepean to watch sailor Alec Rose pass through The Rip on his solo circumnavigation attempt.
He toured Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, and Taiwan in March and April 1967, and had planned to visit Burma, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Pakistan in 1968.
One of John Gorton's first acts upon becoming Prime Minister in January 1968 was to sideline Bunting by creating a separate Department of the Cabinet Office with Bunting as its head, and replaced him with Lenox Hewitt. In November 1967, the government suffered a serious setback in the Senate election, winning just 42.8 per cent of the vote against Labor's 45 per cent.
A police report released in early 1968 made no definitive findings about Holt's death, while a coronial inquest in 2005 returned a verdict of accidental drowning.
The Liberal Party held a leadership election on 9 January 1968, in which John Gorton defeated Paul Hasluck, Billy Snedden, and Les Bury.
The irony of commemorating a man who is presumed to have drowned with a swimming pool has been a source of wry amusement for many Australians. In 1968, the newly commissioned United States Navy Knox-class destroyer escort was named in his honour.
Johnson later returned to Australia for Holt's memorial service, and invited his widow Zara to stay with him when she visited the United States in 1969. On his first visit to the U.S., Holt made what was widely viewed as a faux pas while delivering a ceremonial address at the White House.
She nonetheless made sacrifices for her husband's political career, accompanying him on all but one of his overseas trips, which could last for weeks. After her husband's death, Zara remarried in 1969 to one of his Liberal Party colleagues, Jeff Bate.
It was launched by Holt's widow Dame Zara at the Todd Shipyards in Los Angeles on 3 May 1969, and was the first American warship to bear the name of a foreign leader. In 1969, a plaque commemorating Holt was bolted to the seafloor off Cheviot Beach after a memorial ceremony.
However, by the middle of the year Wilson had announced that Britain intended to close all of its bases in Asia by the early 1970s (except for Hong Kong).
The National Gallery, which did not open until 1982, was the first arts-related major infrastructure project to be funded by the federal government; previous projects had been funded by state governments or by private subscription.
She was widowed a second time in 1984, and died in 1989.
In a 1988 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Zara stated that her husband Harold had carried on "dozens" of extramarital affairs.
She was widowed a second time in 1984, and died in 1989.
A police report released in early 1968 made no definitive findings about Holt's death, while a coronial inquest in 2005 returned a verdict of accidental drowning.
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