Reginald Francis Xavier (Rex) Connor was born on 20 January 1907, although some sources show his year of birth varying between 1906 and 1909. He attended Wollongong High School, became an articled clerk and later qualified as a solicitor through the Solicitors' Admission Board. Connor was, at different times, a garage proprietor, motor agent and general dealer (1931-41), a general agent and farmed a 32 acre property at Fig Tree (1941-50), an Alderman on the Wollongong City Council (1938-44) and member of the Council of the University of Wollongong.
 
Elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly in 1950, as the member for Wollongong-Kembla, Connor resigned the seat in October 1963 to contest the federal election. He was elected to the House of Representatives as the member for Cunningham. This seat included his former state electorate of Wollongong and that of Illawarra. Connor remained in Parliament until his death in August 1977.
 
During the Whitlam Labor Government, Rex Connor was Minister for Minerals and Energy (1972-75). After the 1974 election, he ranked third in Cabinet and acted as Prime Minister for a short time the following year in the absence of both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He gained notoriety and lost his portfolio in October 1975, one month prior to the dismissal of the Whitlam Government, for misleading Parliament over the 'Loans Affair'. Connor was subsequently a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry (1976-77).

Sources:

Grattan, Michelle, ed, Australian Prime Ministers (Sydney, New Holland Publishers, 2000), pp 343-344, 412-413
Parliamentary Handbook 1975, p 73; 1978, p 218
Who's Who in Australia 1977, p 249

Summary heading

  R F X Connor (CP 433)

Unregistered links

  1950 – 22 Oct 1963:  New South Wales Parliament, Legislative Assembly – Member for Wollongong-Port Kembla