Roy Vincent 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 1922 until 1953. He was a member of the "True Blue" faction of the Progressive Party

Progressive Party (1920)

The Progressive Party was a New South Wales political party that operated between 1920 and 1927, achieving representation in the Legislative Assembly due to proportional representation. The party attracted support from conservative voters in both rural and urban NSW. As a result, its policies were...

 until it became the 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...

 in 1927. He was the party's Deputy Leader and Whip between 1950 and 1953. He held ministerial rank as the Secretary of Mines and Minister for Forests between 1932 and 1941.

Early life

Vincent was born at Glen Innes, New South Wales

Glen Innes, New South Wales

Glen Innes is a parish and town on the Northern Tablelands, in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the centre of the Glen Innes Severn Shire Council. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and the Gwydir Highway...

 and was the son of a newspaper editor. He was educated at Uralla

Uralla, New South Wales

Uralla is a small town and on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way 465 kilometres north of Sydney and about 23 kilometres south west of the city of Armidale...

 and became a newspaper reporter but eventually edited and owned the Don Dorrigo Gazette in Dorrigo

Dorrigo, New South Wales

Dorrigo is a small town located on the Waterfall Way in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 580 kilometres north of the state capital, Sydney via the Pacific Highway, and 60 kilometres from the coastal city of Coffs Harbour. The town is situated on the Dorrigo Plateau near the...

. He became active in community organizations including the New England New State Movement

New England New State Movement

The New England New State Movement was an Australian political movement in the twentieth century. Originally called the Northern Separation Movement, the aim of the movement was to seek the secession of the New England region and surrounding areas from the State of New South Wales and the...

 of Earle Page

Earle Page

Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, GCMG, CH was the 11th Prime Minister of Australia, and is to date the second-longest serving federal parliamentarian in Australian history, with 41 years, 361 days in Parliament.-Early life:...

, the Returned and Services League of Australia

Returned and Services League of Australia

The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....

 and the Aboriginal Protection Board

Aboriginal Protection Board

There was an Aboriginal Protection Board in a number of Australian States with the function of "protecting" and regulating the lives of Indigenous Australians. They were also responsible for administering the various Half-caste acts where these existed and had a key role in the Stolen generations...

. Vincent served in the First Australian Imperial Force

First Australian Imperial Force

The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...

 during World War One and was severely wounded and gassed in France.

State Parliament

Vincent was elected to the parliament as a Progressive Party member for in the multi-member seat of Oxley at the 1922 state election. He defeated the sitting member and his Progressive Party colleague Richard Price. He moved to the seat of Raleigh

Electoral district of Raleigh

Raleigh was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, originally created in 1894, partly replacing Macleay, and named after Raleigh County. In 1920, with the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into Oxley, along with...

 as a member of the Country Party when New South Wales reverted to single member electorates at the 1927

New South Wales state election, 1927

The 1927 New South Wales state election to elect the 90 members of the 28th Legislative Assembly was held on 8 October 1927. During the previous parliament the voting system, which had been a form of proportional representation with multi-member seats and a single transferable vote , was changed...

 election. He retained this seat at the next 8 election and retired at the 1953

New South Wales state election, 1953

The 1953 New South Wales state election was held on 14 February 1953. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1952 redistribution...

 election.

Government

The state election of 1932

New South Wales state election, 1932

The 1932 New South Wales state election was held on 11 June 1932. This election was for all of the 90 seats in the 30th New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting...

 saw the landslide defeat of Labor and the formation of a conservative coalition government by Bertram Stevens. Vincent was the Secretary for Mines and Minister for Forrests throughout the premiership of Stevens and his successor Alexander Mair

Alexander Mair

Alexander Mair was an Australian politician and served as the Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, working in various businesses, Mair moved to Albury, New South Wales and went on to be a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for fourteen...

 whose government was defeated 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....

election.