John Austin Gray MC (16 April 1892 – 6 May 1939) was an Australian politician. He was born in

Warracknabeal Warracknabeal ( ) is a town in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, located in the Wheatbelt (Australia), Victorian wheatbelt. Situated on the banks of the Yarriambiack Creek, 330 km northwest of Melbourne, it is the bus ...

to storekeeper Archibald Gray and Hannah Isabella Hutchinson. He attended state schools before working for the State Savings Bank of Victoria. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served with the 6th Light Trench Mortar Battery, being awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. On his return he became an accountant. On 3 November 1920 he married Jessie Millicent Harris, with whom he had four children. He served on Hawthorn City Council from 1927 to 1939 and was mayor from 1937 to 1938. A founding member and president of the Young Nationalists, he won a by-election for the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the states and territories of Australia, state lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the state upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament H ...

seat of Hawthorn in 1930. He was briefly a minister without portfolio from March to April 1935. Gray held his seat until his death in Hawthorn in 1939.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, John Austin 1892 births 1939 deaths Australian Army officers Australian military personnel of World War I Australian recipients of the Military Cross Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Victoria People from Warracknabeal Military personnel from Victoria (state)