Alexander Tattenhall Dewar (19 June 1912 – 7 January 1995) was a leather manufacturer and member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Early life

Dewar was born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, to parents Alexander Sawers Dewar and his wife Elizabeth Fraser (née Macdonald). He was educated at Chermside and

Wooloowin Wooloowin ( ) is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wooloowin had a population of 4,029 people. Geography Wooloowin is an inner-north suburb of Brisbane, Australia located approximately 5–6 km north of th ...

State Schools and the Commercial High School. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served in 143rd Australian General Transport Company from 1942 and then joined the

RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...

the next year where he achieved the rank of

Flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

and serving in England and Canada. He was discharged in February 1946World War II Nominal Roll
—

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

. Retrieved 12 March 2016. and took up work at the family leather manufacturing in Kedron.And here are some new faces
— The Sunday Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2016.

Political career

At the 1950 state election, Dewar contested the new seat of Chermside for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and defeated Labor's J.B. Macarthur.This is how you voted at yesterday's election
— The Sunday Mail. Retrieved 12 March 2016. He held the seat until it was abolished for the 1960 election. He then won the seat of Wavell, holding it until his defeat in

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

. During his time in Parliament he was Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Problems of Youth (1957-1959), Minister for Labour and Industry (1963-1965), Minister for Industrial Development (1965-1967) and deputy leader of the Liberal Party in 1965. He was forced to resign as Minister for Industrial Development in 1967 for allegedly "kissing and certain other actions" with two girls from the Department of Labor and Tourism. Dewar was outraged at the accusations and accused departmental public servants of spreading the story. He resigned from the Liberal Party in August 1968 and sat as an

Independent Liberal Independent Liberal is a description which candidates and politicians have used to describe themselves, designating them as liberals, yet independent of the official Liberal Party of their country. To avoid confusion with the Liberal Party of ...

for the last year of his parliamentary career.

Personal life

On the 16 Nov 1946, Dewar married Ailsa Marjorie Drain (died 1991)Ailsa Marjorie Dewar ( - 1991)
— Heaven Address. Retrieved 12 March 2016. and together had one son and one daughter. Dewar died in January 1995 and was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

at Albany Creek Memorial Park Crematorium.Alexander Tattenhall Dewar ( - 1995)
— Heaven Address. Retrieved 12 March 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewar, Alexander Tattenhall Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1912 births 1995 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians