The Hon. Edgar Hugh Graham (19 January 1897 – 13 November 1957) was an Australian politician and a 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 1941 until his death . He was a member of the 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...

 and held numerous ministerial positions. He was the Minister for Agriculture

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, a division of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for the administration and development for agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, state forests, biosecurity, and crown lands in New South Wales...

 for 13 years.

Graham was born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...

 and was the son of a farmer. He was educated to elementary level at state schools and initially worked as a butcher. He later worked as a stock agent and pig breeder. Graham was elected to the New South Wales Parliament as the Labor member for Wagga Wagga

Electoral district of Wagga Wagga

Wagga Wagga is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Daryl Maguire of the Liberal Party of Australia....

 at the 1941

New South Wales state election, 1941

The 1941 New South Wales state election was held on 10 May 1941. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 33nd New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting....

 state election. He defeated the sitting Country Party

National Party of Australia

The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...

 member, Matthew Kilpatrick in the landslide victory that allowed William McKell

William McKell

Sir William John McKell GCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947, and was the 12th Governor-General of Australia. He was also the oldest Governor General of Australia, at 93 when he died....

 to form a government. He held the seat at the next 5 elections and died as the sitting member in 1957. During the premierships of William McKell, James McGirr

James McGirr

James McGirr was the Labor Premier of New South Wales from 6 February 1947 to 3 April 1952.A Catholic, McGirr was the seventh son of John Patrick McGirr, farmer and Irish immigrant, and Mary McGirr, whose maiden name was O'Sullivan. Born in Parkes, New South Wales, he grew up on a dairy farm near...

 and Joseph Cahill

Joseph Cahill

John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...

, Graham held numerous ministerial positions but he is most notable for his long tenure as Minister for Agriculture.