Rex Whiting Pearson (13 January 1905 – 11 September 1961) was an Australian politician. Born in

Kadina, South Australia Kadina ( ) is a town on the Yorke Peninsula of the Australian state of South Australia, approximately 144 kilometres north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. The largest town of the Peninsula, Kadina is one of the three Copper Triangl ...

, he was educated in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

Prince Alfred College , motto_translation = Do Brave Deeds and Endure , established = 1869 , type = Independent, single-sex, day & boarding , headmaster = David Roberts , chaplain = Reverend Ma ...

before becoming a farmer and grazier, initially at Sandilands on the

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Strait ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. In 1927, Pearson moved with his widowed mother to Jamestown. In 1935, he moved with his family, and that of his brother Glen, to Cockaleechie. In the following year, he moved 20 km north to Yeelanna. He first contested the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assembly was crea ...

electorate of Flinders for the

Liberal and Country League Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and ...

at the state election in 1938, but lost to

Edward Craigie Edward John Craigie (5 September 1871 – 17 January 1966) was a Single Tax League member for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Flinders from 1930 to 1941. Born and raised in Moonta, South Australia, the son of Scottish parents, ...

, the candidate for the

Single Tax League The Single Tax League was a Georgist Australian political party that flourished throughout the 1920s and 1930s based on support for single tax. Based upon the ideas of Henry George, who argued that all taxes should be abolished, save for a sing ...

, after the distribution of preferences. In 1941, Pearson was elected for Flinders, defeating Craigie on preferences from the

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate. Even though he moved to

Belair Belair or Bélair may refer to: People *Sanité Bélair (1781–1802), Haitian freedom fighter Places Historic locations *Belair (Nashville, Tennessee), United States * Belair Development, Maryland, United States *Belair Mansion (Bowie, Maryland ...

, and later Lower Mitcham near

and his mother's home, he won the 1947 and 1950 elections for Flinders, and retained his interest and support for farming and rural interests in his electorate on the

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...

. In 1951, Pearson transferred to federal politics, winning a seat in the Australian Senate as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

at that year's double dissolution

federal election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

. His brother Glen won the by-election for the consequential vacancy in the seat of Flinders. Pearson held his Senate seat by winning elections in 1953 and 1958, until his death in 1961, after which the South Australian parliament appointed Gordon Davidson to replace him. Pearson was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

lay preacher on the Eyre Peninsula.

References

Liberal and Country League politicians Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia Members of the Australian Senate Members of the South Australian House of Assembly 1905 births 1961 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub