Nelson Lemmon
Encyclopedia
Nelson Lemmon was an Australia
n politician and government minister. He was responsible for establishing the Snowy Mountains Scheme
.
Nelson was born at Williamstown, Victoria
, the son of John Lemmon
, Australian Labor Party
politician and Australian Labor Party
member for Williamstown
in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
from 1904 to 1951. He was educated at Williamstown State School and Longerenong Agricultural College
. He became a farmer in Ongerup, Western Australia
and married Ada Mary Jackel in 1930.
seat of Forrest
(WA
) for Labor at the 1943 election
. He was Minister for Works and Housing
in Ben Chifley
's November 1946 ministry
until his defeat by Gordon Freeth
at the 1949 election
. He was responsible for the commencement of the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme
a complex of dams, power stations and tunnels in southern New South Wales
to produce hydroelectric
power and divert water for irrigation
to inland areas along the Murray
and Murrumbidgee River
s. He chose William Hudson
as Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority and refused to follow the normal procedure of putting forward three alternatives to cabinet
.
Lemmon was also responsible for commencing a substantial program of construction of houses for ex-servicemen returned from World War II
. At the 1954 election
he won the New South Wales seat of St George
from Bill Graham
and there was press speculation that he would run for Labor leadership. However, the Labor Party split in 1954 and Nelson lost to Graham at the 1955 election
.
He was one of only five people who have represented more than one state or territory in the House of Representatives, and was the most recent serving of those five.
Lemmon returned to being a horse trainer and breeder in Robertson, New South Wales
. He was survived by his wife and a son and a daughter.
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 and government minister. He was responsible for establishing the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
.
Nelson was born at Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....
, the son of John Lemmon
John Lemmon (Australian politician)
John Lemmon was an Australian politician. He served the longest ever term as a member of the Victorian Parliament, being an MLA for over fifty years....
, 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...
politician and 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 for Williamstown
Electoral district of Williamstown
Williamstown is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a 33 km² urban electorate in the inner south-western suburbs of Melbourne, encompassing the suburbs of Brooklyn, Newport, Spotswood, Williamstown and Yarraville...
in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
from 1904 to 1951. He was educated at Williamstown State School and Longerenong Agricultural College
Victorian College of Agriculture and Horticulture
The Victorian College of Agriculture & Horticulture, abbreviated VCAH, was a grouping of the agricultural colleges of the State of Victoria in Australia. Formed in 1983, it was later incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in 1991...
. He became a farmer in Ongerup, Western Australia
Ongerup, Western Australia
Ongerup is a town located 410 km south-east of Perth and 54 km east of Gnowangerup in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.- History :The name Ongerup means Place of the male kangaroo in the local Noongar language....
and married Ada Mary Jackel in 1930.
Political career
Nelson won the House of RepresentativesAustralian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Forrest
Division of Forrest
The Division of Forrest is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia and a federal Cabinet minister. It is located in the south-western corner of the state, including the towns of...
(WA
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) for Labor at the 1943 election
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
. He was Minister for Works and Housing
Minister for Housing (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness is Mark Arbib, who was appointed on 14 September 2010, following the Labor Party's win at the 2010 election...
in Ben Chifley
Ben Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949...
's November 1946 ministry
Second Chifley Ministry
The Second Chifley Ministry was the thirty-fourth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 1 November 1946 to 19 December 1949.Australian Labor Party*Rt Hon Ben Chifley, MP: Prime Minister and Treasurer*Hon Dr H.V...
until his defeat by Gordon Freeth
Gordon Freeth
Sir Gordon Freeth KBE was an Australian politician.Freeth was born in Angaston, South Australia, the son of Robert Freeth and Gladys Mary Snashall...
at the 1949 election
Australian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
. He was responsible for the commencement of the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
a complex of dams, power stations and tunnels in southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to produce hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
power and divert water for irrigation
Irrigation in Australia
Irrigation in Australia is a widespread practice to supplement low rainfall levels in Australia with water from other sources to assist in the production of crops or pasture. As the driest inhabited continent, irrigation is required in many areas for production of crops for domestic and export use...
to inland areas along the Murray
Murray River
The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...
and Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
s. He chose William Hudson
William Hudson (engineer)
Sir William Hudson, KBE , Australian engineer, headed construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme for hydroelectricity and irrigation in Australia from 1949 to 1967, when he reluctantly retired at 71...
as Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority and refused to follow the normal procedure of putting forward three alternatives to cabinet
Cabinet of Australia
The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
.
Lemmon was also responsible for commencing a substantial program of construction of houses for ex-servicemen returned from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At the 1954 election
Australian federal election, 1954
Federal elections were held in Australia on 29 May 1954. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election, no Senate election took place...
he won the New South Wales seat of St George
Division of St George
The Division of St George was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and covered the suburbs of Hurstville, Rockdale and Arncliffe....
from Bill Graham
Bill Graham (Australian politician)
Bruce William "Bill" Graham, OBE was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was educated at Sydney Grammar School before becoming an announcer on the ABC. He served in the military from 1939 to 1948 and was a company director before entering politics in 1949 as the Liberal member for St...
and there was press speculation that he would run for Labor leadership. However, the Labor Party split in 1954 and Nelson lost to Graham at the 1955 election
Australian federal election, 1955
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1955. All 122 seats in the House of Representatives, and 30 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies with coalition partner the Country Party...
.
He was one of only five people who have represented more than one state or territory in the House of Representatives, and was the most recent serving of those five.
Lemmon returned to being a horse trainer and breeder in Robertson, New South Wales
Robertson, New South Wales
Robertson is a small town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The town is located on the edge of an elevated plateau about 35 km from the coast. At the 2006 census, Robertson had a population of 1,206 people.Robertson is known for its high annual...
. He was survived by his wife and a son and a daughter.