Joseph Aloysius Lyons was born at Stanley, Tasmania on 15 September 1879 to Irish Catholic parents, Michael and Ellen Lyons. Educated at Catholic and State schools, he was one of the first to attend the newly opened Hobart Teacher's Training College (1907). As a trainee teacher, he had previously taught in several country schools including Stanley (1895-1901), Conara (1902-05) and Smithton (1905-06). His final teaching appointment was at Beulah (1909).
In April 1909, at the age of 29, Lyons was elected as Australian Labor Party (ALP) member for the seat of Wilmot in the Tasmanian Legislative Assembly. In the Earle Ministry, he was Treasurer, Minister for Railways and Minister for Education (1914-16). With the defeat of that Government on 15 April 1916, Lyons became Leader of the Opposition. At the 1919 federal election he unsuccessfully contested the seat of Darwin and remained in state politics for another ten years. He was Premier of Tasmania and State Treasurer from 25 October 1923 until the fall of his Government in June 1928. In this period he also held the portfolios of Railways (1923-24) and Mines (1924-27).
Lyons resigned his state seat in September 1929 and, a month later, was elected to the Commonwealth Parliament as Member for Wilmot in the House of Representatives. In Scullin's Labor Government, he was Postmaster-General and Minister for Works and Railways (1929-31), and acted as Treasurer (1930-31) during the investigations of the Queensland Royal Commission into the activities of the Treasurer, E G Theodore. When Theodore returned to the Treasury portfolio in early 1931, Lyons resigned from both Cabinet and the ALP. He became Leader of the new United Australia Party (UAP) when the Nationalist Leader, John Greig Latham, stood aside, and Leader of the Opposition (May-December 1931).
At the December 1931 election, the Scullin Government was defeated and Lyons became Prime Minister in a UAP Government. In his first Ministry he was also Minister for Commerce (October 1932) and Treasurer (1932-35). In 1932 he became a Member of the Privy Council. After the September 1934 election the UAP formed a coalition government with the Country Party, although Lyons remained as Prime Minister and Treasurer. In this period he was also Minister for Repatriation and Minister for Health (1935-36), Vice-President of the Executive Council (1935-37) and Minister for Defence (November 1937). In 1935, he was leader of a ministerial trade delegation to England, and attended the Jubilee Celebrations for His Majesty King George V. The following year, he was appointed a Companion of Honour and became a member of the Empire Coronation Commission (1936-37).
In 1937, Lyons represented Australia at the Coronation of His Majesty King George VI, and led the Australian delegation to the Imperial Conference in London. His Government was returned to office for a third term the same year.
The Lyons Government was very successful in ameliorating the effects of the Depression, including unemployment. It also avoided the secession of Western Australia from Federation and established the Australian Broadcasting Commission and the Commonwealth Grants Commission. However, its foreign policy initiatives were limited. With World War II imminent, the Lyons Government became less effective. Tired from the strain of office, and power struggles within his Cabinet, Lyons suffered a heart attack and died in office on 7 April 1939. At that time he had been continuously engaged in Australian political life for 30 years, mostly as a party leader at either state or federal level.
Lyons was survived by his wife, Dame Enid Lyons (CP 928), whom he had married in 1915. Their family home in Devonport (Home Hill), and the cottage in Stanley where he was born, are both open to the public. One of the most popular and approachable Australian Prime Ministers of the 20th century, Lyons was the first to win three successive elections, the second to have also been a state Premier, and the only one from Tasmania. A federal electoral division in his home state and a suburb in the national capital are named in his honour.
This person registration was revised as part of the Prime Ministers Papers Project (November 2002).
Sources
Australian Encyclopaedia, 1964, pp 391-2
Australian Parliamentary Handbook, 1932 (7th ed), 1935 (8th ed) and 1938 (9th ed)
Commonwealth Gazette No 99, 23 Oct 1929, pp 2223-4; No 10, 12 Feb 1931, p 137; No 1, 6 Jan 1932, pp 1-2; No 71, 4 Oct 1932, p 1277; No 75, 20 Oct 1932, p 1327; No 61, 11 Nov 1935, pp 1779-80; No 25, 13 Feb 1936, p 227; No 27, 27 Feb 1936, p 344; No 69, 25 Nov 1937, p 2101; No 70, 29 Nov 1937, pp 2139-40; No 64, 8 Nov 1938, pp 2607-8; No 22, 8 April 1939, p 605
Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates: House of Representatives, 19 April 1939; Senate, 1 May 1939
Who's Who in Australia 1935, pp 296-7
Unregistered agencies associated with person
30 Apr 1909 – Sep 1929: Tasmanian House of Assembly – Member
2 Nov 1916 – 25 Oct 1923: Tasmanian Parliament – Leader of the Opposition
25 Oct 1923 – 15 Jun 1928: Tasmanian Parliament - Premier
July 1928 - September 1929: Tasmanian Parliament – Leader of the Opposition