John Edward Marriott was born in Elliott, Tasmania on 16 February 1913, the son of Francis Marriott, a Tasmanian Member of Parliament, and his wife Alice.  Marriott was educated at Launceston Church of England Grammar School and at the Hutchins School in Hobart. 

He joined the 2nd AIF on 5 June 1940 and served with the Australian Corps of Signals in the Middle East and New Guinea, becoming a Lieutenant on 3 July 1942.  He was a Staff Captain (Signals) with the Directorate of Organisation of the A Branch, Ar Headquarters from 14 April 1944 to 26 October 1945.  On 27 October 1945 he retired from the Army, becoming a member ofthe Reserve of Officers with the rank of Honorary Captain.  Marriott served on the staff of the Tasmanian Division of the Liberal Party from 1945 to 1949 and was Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1949 to 1953.  On 3 March 1953 he was chosen by the Parliament of Tasmania to represent the State in the Senate, under the provisions of Section 15 of the Constitution, following the death of Senator John Chaberlain.  Marriott was elected to the Senate as a Liberal at subsequent elections.  He did not retain Liberal Party endorsement for the Senate in 1975 and retired from Federal Parliament on 11 November of that year. 

From 12 October 1955 to 9 August 1962 Marriott was a member of the Joint Statutory Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings (CA 3175).  In 1956 he was a member of the Australian delegation to the 11th Session of the United Nations' General Assembly.  From 16 February of that year until 10 March 1960 he was a member of the Senate Standing House Committee (CA 721), later serving on this Committee from 9 August 1962 to 26 August 1965.  Marriott was a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Printing (CA 708) from 10 March 1960 to 17 March 1970.  On that date he became Chairman of the Committee, which changed its name to the Joint Standing Committee on Publications on 6 June 1970.  He was a member from 5 December 1962 to 13 May 1964 of the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary and Government Publications (CA 1913).  From 18 August 1964 to 26 August 1965 he was a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Public Works (CA 707).

Marriott was a member of the Australian delegation to the 11th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference, Wellington in 1965.  In 1967 he had led the delegation the 13th Commonwealth Conference, Uganda. From 20 April 1967 until 5 June 1967 he was a member of the Senate Select Committee on the Metric System of Weights and Measures (CA 1755).  On the latter date he became Deputy Chairman of the Committee, a position he held until the Committee's dissolution on 29 May 1968.  On 2 May 1968 he became Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Australian Capital Territory (CA 712), relinquishing the position on 14 August 1971.  He remained a member of this Committee until his retirementfrom the Senate on 11 November 1975.

From 25 December 1969 to 1971 Marriott was Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse (CA 1733).  On 20 August 1971 he was appointed as Assistant Minister for Health (CA 17) and Assistant Minister  to the Leader of the Government in the Senate.  On 14 September of that year he became a member of the Federal Executive Council (CA 2).  From 4 to 9 September 1972 Marriott attended the 30th International Conference on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in Amsterdam. 

Following the defeat of the Liberal-Country Party coalition in December of that year, Marriott relinquished his ministerial appointments on 5 December 1972.  Marriott was Temporary Chairman of Committees from 28 February 1973 to 11 November 1975.  He served on the Joint Committee on the Northern Territory from 13 September 1973 until the latter date.  He was a member of Joint Committee on the Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament from 25 September 1974 until his retirement, serving as Deputy Chairman from 18 August 1975.  Marriott was a member of Estimates Committee F from 3 October 1974 to 15 April 1975 and of Estimates Committee E from 15 April 1975 to 11 November of that year.


Sources:

Who's Who 1950, 1975
Australian Parliamentary Hand book 1973, 1976
A Record of Service: Senator the Hon John Marriott (prepared by his Staff Oct 1975)