Condor Louis Laucke was born on 9 November 1914 in Greenock, South Australia.  He attended Greenock Primary School, Immanuel College and the Adelaide School of Mines. 

From 1933 to 1965 he was a Member of the Liberal and Country League Executive (now Council).  He was a member of the House of Assembly for Barossa, South Australia from 1956 to 1965 when he was defeated.  From 1962 to 1965 he was the Government Whip in the House of Assembly.  He was the South Australian Parliamentary Representative on the Adelaide University Council from 1956 to 1965; Vice-President of the Council of Institutes Association of South Australia from 1965 to 1968 and a Member of the House of Assembly Land Settlement Committee from 14 May 1959 to 25 March 1965. On the death of Senator Hannaford, Condor Laucke was sworn in on 2 November 1967 to serve out the rest of Senator Hannaford's term in the Commonwealth Parliament and successfully contested the next Senate election for the Liberal Party on 25 November 1968.

From 1 May 1968 to 1969 he was Deputy Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Air Pollution and from 29 May 1969 to 31 October 1972 Temporary Chairman of Committees.  He was a member of the Senate Select  Committee on Off-Shore Petroleum Resources from 26 November 1969 to 1971;  Member and from 17 September 1970 Chairman of the Senate Estimates Committee from 16 September 1970 to 28 September 1971;  Member and from 5 May 1971 Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Environment from 7 April 1971 to 26 February 1973;  Member of the Senate Standing House Committee as from 19 August 1971 and Member and from 7 October 1971 Chairman of the Senate Estimates Committee D from 28 September 1971 to 2 November 1972. 

Laucke was the spokesman on Social Development incorporating Tourism, Recreation, the Media, the Australian Broadcasting Commission and Aboriginal Affairs while in the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party Opposition Executive from 21 December 1972 to 14 June 1974.

He was a member of the Senate Estimates Committee C from 9 May 1973 to 15 April 1975; Member of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Government Operations from 25 September 1974 to 11 November 1975;  Chairman of the Joint Library Committee from 17 February 1976 when he was also appointed President of the Senate;  on 4 March 1976 he became a Member of the Senate Standing Committee on the Library, Senate Standing Committee on Standing Orders and the Joint Statutory on Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings.  From 25 March 1976 he was Joint Chairman of the Joint Statutory Committee on the New and Permanent Parliament House.

Laucke was the leader of the Australian Delegation to the 57th Annual Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Delhi, India in October to November 1969.  He also represented Australia at the inauguration of the Presidents of Venezuela and Brazil in March 1979 and was present at the celebrations in Mexico of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mexican Governing party.

Before Sir Condor Laucke entered Federal Parliament his occupations were those of a flour miller and later primary producer in the Barossa area in South Australia.  In Who's Who, 1977 his recreations are listed as gardening and horse riding and his clubs as Commerce and CTA.  He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 30 December 1978.


References

The Canberra Times, 3 Nov 1967, p 2
Parliamentary Handbook, 17th edition, p.255, AGPS, 1971
Australian Parliamentary Handbook, p 42, 8th edition, AGPS, 1973 Biographical Register of the Commonwealth Parliament 1901-1972, p 130
 by Joan Rydon, ANU Press, 1975
Australian Parliamentary Handbook, 19th edition Supplement No 1, pp
 103-104, 1976
The Age, 18 Feb 1976, p 13
The Australian, 18 Feb 1976, p 9
The Weekend Australian, 30 Dec 1978, p 2
Minister for Foreign Affairs News Release, No M19, 2 Mar 1979 
Who's Who in Australia, 1977, p. 646, JS. Legge editor and compiler, Melbourne 1977
Commonwealth Government Directory, 1979, pp 9, 19, AGPS, 1979