Sir Reginald (Reg) William Colin Swartz was born in Brisbane and educated at Toowoomba and Brisbane Grammar Schools. He later worked for Shell Oil Company (1927-39) and, in 1928, began a long association with the Commonwealth Military Forces (CMF). In November 1940, Swartz enlisted in the 2nd AIF, and was a Captain in the 2/26 Infantry Battalion, 8th Division in the Malayan Campaign. He was a Prisoner of War (1942-45) in Singapore, Malaya and Thailand, including a period on the Burma-Thailand Railway. After the war, he was again employed by Shell (1946-49) and became a Major in the Darling Downs Regiment (CMF). He was later Lieutenant Colonel and then Colonel (Retired)) of Northern Command. 

Swartz was elected to the House of Representatives in December 1949 as Member for Darling Downs, representing the Liberal Party, and retained the seat for 23 years until his retirement in 1972. He was also a member of the Queensland Liberal Party State Policy Committee (1949-54), a member of the Queensland Executive of the Liberal Party (1961-65) and unsuccessfully contested the Deputy Leadership of the Liberal Party against B M Snedden (1971). 

In the early period of his Parliamentary career, Swartz was Deputy Government Whip (1950-52), a member of the House of Representatives Privileges Committee (1951-58), Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Commerce and Agriculture (1952-56) and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade (1956-61). At the time, John McEwen held the two portfolios.

Following the 1961 general elections, Swartz was made Minister for Repatriation (1961-64) and in successive Liberal Coalition Governments held the portfolios of Health (1964-66), Social Services (1965), Civil Aviation (1966-69) and National Development (1969-72). He was also Acting Minister for Health (1964 and 1967), Minister Assisting the Treasurer (1969) and Leader of the House (1971-72). His Ministerial career spanned the terms of five Prime Ministers (Menzies to McMahon) and was considered efficient rather than spectacular.

Between 1957 and 1971, Swartz made many official visits overseas, including participating as Leader or Government Representative in Conferences and Delegations to India, South East Asia, United Kingdom, Argentina, Indonesia and New Zealand. 

In 1969, Swartz was appointed an Honorary Colonel with the Australian Army Aviation Corps and was later the Corps' Chairman of Trustees (1978-91). After retiring from politics, he held various company directorships, including with T F Stewart and Company (NSW) Pty Ltd and Cobar Mines Pty Ltd (1973-81) and Queensland Phosphate Ltd (1973-83). He was Patron of the Queensland Ex-Prisoners of War Association and Chairman of the AIF Malayan Nursing Scholarship Board. 

Sir Reginald Swartz was made a Knight Commander in the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1972 and died in February 2006.

Sources:

Canberra Times (obituary), 22 Feb 2006, p 25
Parliamentary Handbook 1971, pp 358-360; 1973, p 262
Who's Who in Australia 2004, p 1497

Summary heading

 Hon Sir Reginald Swartz (CP 68)

Unregistered links

  1978-1991: Australian Army Aviation Corps - Chairman of Trustees

  1980-1981: Institute of Directors of Australia, Queensland Branch - Chairman