Doug Porter (politician)
Encyclopedia
Douglas Elliott Porter was an Australia
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1964 to 1965, representing the electorate of Wollongong-Kembla
.
Porter was born at Mosman
, and was a plumber by trade. He worked as a teacher at Sydney and East Sydney Technical Colleges from 1947 to 1953, St George Technical College in 1953, before relocating to Wollongong in 1954 to teach at Wollongong Technical College. He was elected as an alderman of the City of Wollongong
council in 1963, holding the position until 1971. He was also involved in the local Labor Party, serving as secretary of the party's Reidtown branch.
In 1964, local MLA Rex Connor
resigned his state seat to run for the federal seat of Cunningham
, and Porter won Labor preselection for the resulting by-election. Though a traditionally safe Labor seat, Labor suffered a massive swing at the by-election, and Porter defeated Liberal candidate Jack Hough
by only 200 votes. He faced re-election just over a year later, and narrowly lost to Hough in a result that helped ensure the election of the Askin
Liberal government.
Porter continued his involvement in local politics after his state defeat, and after initially returning to teaching, purchased a hardware store in 1966. He died at Kogarah
in 1989.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1964 to 1965, representing the electorate of Wollongong-Kembla
Electoral district of Wollongong-Kembla
Wollongong-Kembla was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was created in 1941, and abolished in 1968, being split into Wollongong and Kembla.-Members for Wollongong-Kembla:...
.
Porter was born at Mosman
Mosman, New South Wales
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman.-Localities:In February...
, and was a plumber by trade. He worked as a teacher at Sydney and East Sydney Technical Colleges from 1947 to 1953, St George Technical College in 1953, before relocating to Wollongong in 1954 to teach at Wollongong Technical College. He was elected as an alderman of the City of Wollongong
City of Wollongong
The City of Wollongong is a Local Government Area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Freeway and the South Coast railway line....
council in 1963, holding the position until 1971. He was also involved in the local Labor Party, serving as secretary of the party's Reidtown branch.
In 1964, local MLA Rex Connor
Rex Connor
Reginald Francis Xavier "Rex" Connor , Australian politician, was a minister in the Whitlam government and promoted government investment to support national development...
resigned his state seat to run for the federal seat of Cunningham
Division of Cunningham
The Division of Cunningham is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Allan Cunningham, a 19th century explorer of New South Wales and Queensland. It is located on the coast of New South Wales between southern Sydney and Wollongong, and...
, and Porter won Labor preselection for the resulting by-election. Though a traditionally safe Labor seat, Labor suffered a massive swing at the by-election, and Porter defeated Liberal candidate Jack Hough
Jack Hough
Michael William "Jack" Hough was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing Wollongong-Kembla from 1965 to 1968 and Wollongong from 1968 to 1971....
by only 200 votes. He faced re-election just over a year later, and narrowly lost to Hough in a result that helped ensure the election of the Askin
Robert Askin
Sir Robert William Askin GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971...
Liberal government.
Porter continued his involvement in local politics after his state defeat, and after initially returning to teaching, purchased a hardware store in 1966. He died at Kogarah
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
in 1989.