David Grayden ( Ives; 25 May 1924 – 9 June 2003) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

from 1950 to 1953, representing the seat of Nedlands. Grayden was born in

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

to Ethel May (née Harper) and Aubrey Leonard Ives. His older brother was Bill Grayden, an MP at both state and federal level, while the brothers' maternal grandfather was businessman

Nat Harper Nathaniel White Harper (18 March 1865 – 3 January 1954) was an Australian politician and businessman. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1910 until 1914, representing the seats of Beverley and Pingelly. He wa ...

, who was also involved in politics. Their mother remarried in the 1930s, changing the brothers' surname to that of their step-father. Grayden spent part of his early childhood in the United Kingdom, but eventually returned to Perth, where he attended Wesley College. He went on to the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree. During World War II, Grayden enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

, serving in the Middle East and New Guinea. On his return to Australia, he became a director of the Winterbottom Motor Company, a prominent local motor vehicle distributor.David Grayden
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 May 2016. A state president of the Young Liberals, Grayden stood for parliament for the first time in 1948, contesting a by-election for the seat of Guildford-Midland as an endorsed Liberal candidate. At the 1950 state election, he failed to gain official endorsement, but won the seat of Nedlands as an "independent Liberal" candidate. His time in parliament was short-lived however, as he was defeated by

Charles Court Sir Charles Walter Michael Court, (29 September 1911 – 22 December 2007) was a Western Australian politician, and the 21st Premier of Western Australia from 1974 to 1982. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life Court's family e ...

(a future Liberal premier) at the 1953 election. Grayden contested Nedlands for a third time at the 1956 election, but lost by an increased margin. After leaving politics, he worked as a company director in Perth for a period, before moving to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in the late 1950s. There, Grayden retrained as a schoolteacher, studying at the

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 18,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 3,000 students See also *New England Colle ...

. He worked as a high school teacher until his retirement in 1984, and spent the rest of his life on the New South Wales Central Coast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grayden, David 1924 births 2003 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Presbyterians Australian schoolteachers Independent members of the Parliament of Western Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Politicians from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Wesley College, Perth University of New England (Australia) alumni University of Western Australia alumni 20th-century Australian politicians