Robert Cummin Katter (born Cummin Robert Katter; 5 September 191818 March 1990) was an Australian politician who served in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from 1966 to 1990, representing the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

(originally named the Country Party). He served as Minister for the Army in the

McMahon government The McMahon government was the period of federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister William McMahon of the Liberal Party. It was made up of members of a coalition between the Liberal Party and the Country Party, led by ...

in 1972. His sons Bob Katter Jr. and Carl Katter as well as grandson

Robbie Robbie and Robby, also Robbi and Roby, are given names. They are usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. Robbie is also a s ...

have also been involved in politics.

Early years

Katter was born on 5 September 1918 in

South Brisbane, Queensland South Brisbane is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 14,292 people. Geography South Brisbane is on the southern bank of th ...

, the fourth child of Vivian Bridget (née Warby) and Carl Robert Katter. His father was a

Maronite Catholic The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronite ...

born in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and his mother was Australian. He has been described as a cousin of the Lebanese-American poet

Khalil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist; he was also considered a philosopher, although he himself rejected the title. ...

. His father was one of the two-dozen original investors in the airline

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

. He was raised and educated "probably by the nuns" in

Cloncurry Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. It is informally known by local people as The Curry. Cloncurry is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as the ''Friendl ...

and later at Mount Carmel College in

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits und ...

. He began legal studies at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

and resided at St Leo's College (when the college was at

Wickham Terrace Wickham Terrace is one of the historic streets of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known as the street of private medical specialists. Geography Wickham Terrace commences at the western corner of the intersection of Ann Street, Brisbane, ...

). With the outbreak of

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 the Australian Army as a lieutenant from 1940 and was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1942. In July 1942, his service was terminated on grounds of ill health. Later he was proprietor of the local drapery business, menswear store and picture theatre in Cloncurry, Queensland. One of his first actions in taking over the cinema was to remove the steel railings which separated the Aboriginal patrons from other cinema-goers, and to remove the hard chairs, so that everyone was forced to share the canvas seats normally reserved for European Australians. Katter served on Cloncurry Shire Council for over twenty years. He was a

Councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

from 1946 to 1967 and was its

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

from 1948 to 1951 and again from 1964 to 1967. Katter married his first wife, Mabel Horn, in 1943, and they were married until she died in 1971. Bob Jr, Norman and Geraldine are his children from his first marriage. Katter remarried in 1976 to Joycelyn Steel. Carl, Richard and Bernadette are his children from his second marriage.

Political career

Katter was at one time a member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

and a union delegate on the

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 ...

wharves and had a long history of active unionism prior to his entry into public life. Bob Katter Sr. was a member of the executive of the State Service Union in Queensland and was also a member of the executive of the tally clerks division of the

Federated Clerks' Union of Australia The Federated Clerks Union of Australia (FCU) was an Australian trade union representing clerical workers, in existence from 1911 to 1993, when it amalgamated with the Australian Services Union. History Between 1900 and 1907, attempts were made to ...

in Queensland. He left the ALP in 1957, when the

Queensland Labor Party The Queensland Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland) and commonly referred to as Queensland Labor or simply Labor, is the branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the state of Queensland. It has ...

split from the federal party, running under that party's banner for the state seat of

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

in that year's state election. Later, he joined 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 ...

. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, he joined the Country Party, later the

, and won Country preselection for

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * Kennedy (surname), including any of several people with that surname ** Kennedy family, a prominent American political family that includes: *** Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888–1969), American businessman, investor, ...

, a mostly rural seat in northern Queensland. On paper, he faced daunting odds. The seat had been in Labor hands for all but two terms since Federation, and it had been one of the few country seats in which Labor consistently did well. At the time of the election, Labor held the seat with a 13 percent majority. However, Katter won on the third count, after Democratic Labor Party candidate Edward Bennett's preferences flowed mostly to him, allowing him to take the seat on a 15 percent swing, becoming only the second non-Labor member ever to win it. A 1969 redistribution cut out Labor-voting Bowen, replacing it with conservative-leaning

. This allowed him to consolidate his hold on the seat, and he became the first non-Labor candidate in four decades to win a primary vote majority in Kennedy. He would not face another serious contest again until 1987, the first time since his initial run for the seat that he failed to win enough primary votes to retain the seat outright. He retired in 1990. He was Minister for the Army from February 1972 to the

McMahon McMahon or MacMahon ( or ) may refer to: Places * Division of McMahon, an electorate for the Australian House of Representatives * McMahon, Saskatchewan, a hamlet in Canada * McMahon Line, a boundary between India and China * McMahons Point, a ...

government's defeat at the December 1972 election. From 1976 to 1983, he was Chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Road Safety and was a strong advocate for the introduction of random breath-testing in Queensland and other states in which it had not already been implemented. He also served as Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade. He served two terms as Australian Parliamentary representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. Katter was appointed by the

Australian Tourist Commission Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for promoting Australian locations as business and leisure travel destinations. The agency is a corporate portfolio agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and e ...

as an ambassador to the United States for tourism after the success of the film '' "Crocodile" Dundee'' there in 1986. He played a major role in establishing the Stockman's Hall of Fame at

Longreach Longreach is a rural town and locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and I ...

and was its founding chairman. He chose not to contest the 24 March 1990 election, and he retired when the Parliament was dissolved on 19 February. He died a month later, a week before the election. He was survived by his second wife, two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, and two sons and a daughter from his second marriage. Despite his many years as a member of the Country/National Party, he was said to have ''lived and died a Labor man''. Indeed, he retained elements of 1950s Labor policies in his platform, including opposition to

neoliberalism Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pe ...

Notable descendants

Several of his descendants have carried on his legacy and entered into Australian politics. * Robert Carl "Bob" Katter Jr, son of Bob Katter Sr, is the current federal member for Kennedy and leader of

Katter's Australian Party Katter's Australian Party (KAP) is an agrarian populist political party in Australia that advocates for agrarian socialist economic policies and conservative social policies. It was founded by Bob Katter, an independent and former National ...

. * Carl Katter, son of Bob Katter Sr, 2016 Australian Labor Party candidate for the federal seat of Higgins in Victoria. *

Robbie Katter Robert Carl Ignatius Katter (born 3 March 1977) is an Australian politician. He serves as the member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for Traeger, having previously represented Mount Isa from 2012 to 2017. He is the leader of Katter's ...

, grandson of Bob Katter Sr and son of Bob Katter Jr, became the first member of

elected to the Queensland State Parliament.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katter, Bob Sr 1918 births 1990 deaths Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Lebanese descent Australian monarchists National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Kennedy Members of the Australian House of Representatives North West Queensland Politicians from Brisbane Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army officers Australian MPs 1966–1969 Australian MPs 1969–1972 Australian MPs 1972–1974 Australian MPs 1974–1975 Australian MPs 1975–1977 Australian MPs 1977–1980 Australian MPs 1980–1983 Australian MPs 1983–1984 Australian MPs 1984–1987 Australian MPs 1987–1990

Early years

Political career

Notable descendants

See also

Notes