Sir Josiah Francis (28 March 1890 – 22 February 1964) 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 1922 to 1955. He was a minister in the

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

and

Menzies Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

governments, serving as Minister in charge of War Service Homes (1932–1934), Minister for the Army (1949–1955), and Minister for the Navy (1949–1951; 1954–1955). He held his defence portfolios during Australia's involvement in the Korean War.

Early life

Francis was born on 28 March 1890 in

Ipswich, Queensland Ipswich () is an urban centre within the City of Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia. Situated on the Bremer River (Queensland), Bremer River, it is approximately 40 km (25 mi) west of the Brisbane central business district. Ipswich is ...

. He was the son of Ada Florence (née Hooper) and Henry Alfred Francis. His grandfather

Josiah Francis Sir Josiah Francis (28 March 1890 – 22 February 1964) was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1922 to 1955. He was a minister in the Lyons and Menzies governments, serving as Minister in charge of War Ser ...

was a prominent businessman in Ipswich, serving as the town's mayor and representing the seat of Ipswich in 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 ...

. Francis was educated at Christian Brothers' College, Ipswich, before joining the Queensland Department of Justice as a clerk in 1908. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1916. He served with the 15th Battalion in France from April 1917 and was wounded in the shoulder in March 1918, rejoining his unit in September after several months in hospital. He was promoted captain in November before being discharged in Australia in September 1919. Francis became prominent in the Returned Sailors' and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia, serving as president of the Ipswich sub-branch and Moreton district division.

Political career

Francis was elected to the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

from 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 ...

-area seat of

Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...

at the 1922 election as a member of the

Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party, also known as the National Party, was an Australian political party. It was formed in February 1917 from a merger between the Commonwealth Liberal Party, Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the latter formed by ...

. He continued to hold the seat until his retirement in November 1955 as a member of the main centre-right party—Nationalist (1922–1931),

UAP UAP may refer to: * Unidentified flying object, a.k.a. Unidentified Aerial (or Anomalous) Phenomenon People * Unlicensed assistive personnel Places * Yap Island Facilities and structures * Tour UAP, an office skyscraper in La Défense, Paris ...

(1931–1945) and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

(1945–1955). In April 1927, he married Edna Clarke Cribb—they had no children. Josiah Francis

He was Minister in charge of War Service Homes from 1932 to 1934. He had been a member of the Returned Sailors' and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia since 1920 and supported returned servicemen's issues. In 1943, while in opposition, he moved an amendment to allow the payment of full pensions to returned servicemen who were suffering from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

regardless of whether or not it could be shown to be caused by war service. Unusually in Australia, his amendment was passed without dissent. With the election of the

government at the December 1949 election, he was appointed Minister for the Army and Minister for the Navy. He held the army portfolio until his retirement and the navy portfolio until May 1951; he was also Minister for the Navy from July 1954 until his retirement.

Later life

In 1956, Francis was appointed Australian

consul general A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

to New York. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1957 and retired to Brisbane in 1961. In 1962 he represented Australia at

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

's independence celebrations. He also chaired the fundraising appeal for the Anzac Memorial Chapel at the

Royal Military College, Duntroon The Royal Military College, Duntroon, also known simply as Duntroon, is the Australian Army's Officer (armed forces), officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, Duntroon in Canberra, Australian Capi ...

Personal life

In 1927, Francis married Edna Clarke Cribb, the daughter of state MP

James Clarke Cribb James Clarke Cribb (1856–1926) was a businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia . He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early life James Clarke Cribb was born 4 October 1856 at Ipswich, the son of Benjamin Cribb ( ...

. The couple had no children. He collapsed and died on 22 February 1964 while watching a regatta on the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

Toowong Toowong ( ) is a riverside Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 12,556 people with a median weekly household income of $1,927. Geography Toowong is ...

. He was granted a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

which was held at the Albert Street Methodist Church and attended by former prime ministers

Arthur Fadden Sir Arthur William Fadden (13 April 189421 April 1973) was an Australian politician and accountant who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He held office as the leader of the Country Party from 1940 ...

and

Frank Forde Francis Michael Forde (18 July 189028 January 1983) was an Australian politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Australia from 6 to 13 July 1945, in a caretaker capacity following the death of John Curtin. He was deputy leader of th ...

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Josiah Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Moreton Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of Australia Australian Knights Bachelor 1890 births 1964 deaths Consuls-general for Australia in New York City Australian military personnel of World War I People educated at St Edmund's College, Ipswich Australian MPs 1922–1925 Australian MPs 1925–1928 Australian MPs 1928–1929 Australian MPs 1929–1931 Australian MPs 1931–1934 Australian MPs 1934–1937 Australian MPs 1937–1940 Australian MPs 1940–1943 Australian MPs 1943–1946 Australian MPs 1946–1949 Australian MPs 1949–1951 Australian MPs 1951–1954 Australian MPs 1954–1955