# Arthur Bridges

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{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = <small>[The Honourable](/source/The_Honourable)</small>
| name = Arthur Bridges
| honorific_suffix = 
| image = Arthur Dalgety Bridges, MLC, c1954.png
| alt = Arthur Dalgety Bridges, MLC, c1954
| caption = Arthur Dalgety Bridges, MLC, c1954
| office = [Leader of the Government in the<br/> Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Government_in_the_Legislative_Council_(New_South_Wales))<br/>[Vice-President of the Executive Council](/source/Vice-President_of_the_Executive_Council_(New_South_Wales))
| term_start = 13 May 1965
| term_end = 22 May 1968
| premier = [Robert Askin](/source/Robert_Askin)
| predecessor = [Reg Downing](/source/Reg_Downing)
| successor = [John Fuller](/source/John_Fuller_(Australian_politician))
| office1 = [Leader of the New South Wales Opposition in the Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Opposition_(New_South_Wales))
| term_start1 = 30 October 1962
| term_end1 = 13 May 1965
| predecessor1 = [Hector Clayton](/source/Hector_Clayton)
| successor1 = [Reg Downing](/source/Reg_Downing)
| office2 =Member of the [Legislative Council of New South Wales](/source/Legislative_Council_of_New_South_Wales)
| predecessor2 = 
| successor2 = [Bernard Riley](/source/Bernard_Riley_(politician))
| term_start2 = 23 April 1946
| term_end2 = 22 May 1968
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1901|11|19}}
| birth_place = Sydney, Australia
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1968|05|22|1901|11|19}}
| death_place = [Darlinghurst](/source/Darlinghurst%2C_New_South_Wales), New South Wales, Australia
| spouse = Rachel Duckworth
| party = 
| relations = 
| children =
| occupation = Accountant
| signature =
}}

'''Arthur Dalgety Bridges''', (19 November 1901 – 22 May 1968) was an Australian [Chartered accountant](/source/Chartered_accountant), company director and politician. He was a member of the [New South Wales Legislative Council](/source/New_South_Wales_Legislative_Council) for the 22 years from 1946 to 1968 representing the [Liberal Party](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_(New_South_Wales_Division)), becoming [Leader of the New South Wales Opposition in the Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Opposition_(New_South_Wales)) from 1962 until 1965. He served as Leader of the Government in the council as well as on the Askin cabinet as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Child and Social Welfare from 1965 to his death in office in 1968.<ref name=nsw>{{cite NSW Parliament |title=Mr Arthur Dalgety Bridges (1901–1968) |id=1632 |former=Yes |accessdate=21 May 2019}}</ref>

==Early years and background==
Arthur Dalgety Bridges was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1901, the son of schoolteacher [Frederick Bridges](/source/Frederick_Bridges) and Ivy May Campbell. After being educated at [Fort Street Boy's High School](/source/Fort_Street_High_School), Bridges worked for his brother on a citrus farm near [Yenda, New South Wales](/source/Yenda%2C_New_South_Wales). After qualifying as an accountant in 1924, Bridges rose to be a Fellow of the [Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia](/source/Institute_of_Chartered_Accountants_in_Australia) (FCA) and a Fellow of the [Chartered Institute of Secretaries](/source/Chartered_Secretaries_Australia). Bridges also became established in his own firm, Bridges and Steel (later A.D Bridges & Co). Becoming recognised as a leading financial adviser, Bridges served as a director of numerous companies in a variety of areas.<ref name=nsw/> He married Rachel Duckworth on 2 November 1929 and had a daughter and a son.

==Political career==
A committed [Presbyterian](/source/Presbyterian), Bridges would eventually become treasurer of [Presbyterian church of New South Wales](/source/Presbyterian_Church_of_Australia) and a National Councillor from 1927 until 1932. Through this, Bridges joined the conservative [United Australia Party](/source/United_Australia_Party) and its successor, the [Democratic Party](/source/Democratic_Party_(1943)). As a councillor in both parties, Bridges was a member of the committee which established [Liberal Party](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_(New_South_Wales_Division)) in 1945–46. Initially serving as a councillor, Bridges rose to be New South Wales vice-president and a Federal Councillor from 1946 until 1965.<ref name=nsw/>

Bridges was elected to the indirectly elected [New South Wales Legislative Council](/source/New_South_Wales_Legislative_Council) on 14 March 1946 and took his seat on 23 April 1946. Bridges eventually replaced [Hector Clayton](/source/Hector_Clayton) as Liberal leader in the Council in 1962, thereby becoming [Leader of the New South Wales Opposition in the Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Opposition_(New_South_Wales)). He served thus until May 1962, when Liberal leader [Robert Askin](/source/Robert_Askin) led the Liberal/Country Coalition to victory at the [1965 election](/source/1965_New_South_Wales_state_election). As the now [Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Government_in_the_Legislative_Council_(New_South_Wales)), Bridges was sworn into the cabinet as [Vice-President of the Executive Council](/source/Vice-President_of_the_Executive_Council_(New_South_Wales)) and as [Minister for Child Welfare and Social Welfare](/source/Minister_for_Family_and_Community_Services_(New_South_Wales)).

While in parliament, Bridges was vice-president of the [Royal Blind Society](/source/Vision_Australia) an honorary secretary of Blinded Ex-serviceman's Club, a committee member of [Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service](/source/Australian_Red_Cross_Blood_Service), the vice-president of [Young Men's Christian Association](/source/Young_Men's_Christian_Association) and a fellow of Senate of [University of Sydney](/source/University_of_Sydney) from 1967 until 1968.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fellows of the Senate|url=http://sydney.edu.au/senate/fellows1850on.shtml#1960s|work=Senate – The University of Sydney|publisher=University of Sydney|access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref> Bridges served in government until his death in office aged 66 on 22 May 1968. On his death, Premier Askin noted that he had "an apparently inexhaustible energy which was a source of wonder to all who knew him" while the leader of the opposition Labor Party, [Pat Hills](/source/Pat_Hills), lamented: "Of all the sad occasions which have come upon this venerable House of Parliament, none was so universally felt as the news of the death of our late colleague".<ref>{{cite news|title=Mark of Respect for Mr Bridges|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19680808&id=8rEpAAAAIBAJ&pg=6732,2216449|access-date=3 February 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=8 August 1968|page=5}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
&nbsp;
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef| before= [Hector Clayton](/source/Hector_Clayton) }}
{{s-ttl |title= [Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales<br /> in the Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Opposition_(New_South_Wales))| years = 1962{{spaced ndash}}1965 }}
{{s-aft|after=[Reg Downing](/source/Reg_Downing)}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before= [Reg Downing](/source/Reg_Downing)|as=Representative of the Government }}
{{s-ttl |title= [Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council](/source/Leader_of_the_Government_in_the_Legislative_Council_(New_South_Wales)) | years = 1965{{spaced ndash}}1968}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after= [John Fuller](/source/John_Fuller_(Australian_politician))}}
{{s-ttl |title= [Vice-President of the Executive Council](/source/Vice-President_of_the_Executive_Council_(New_South_Wales)) | years = 1965{{spaced ndash}}1968 }}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before= [Frank Hawkins](/source/Frank_Hawkins_(politician)) }}
{{s-ttl |title= [Minister for Child Welfare](/source/Minister_for_Family_and_Community_Services_(New_South_Wales))| years=1965{{spaced ndash}}1968}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[Harry Jago](/source/Harry_Jago) }}
{{s-ttl |title= [Minister for Social Welfare](/source/Minister_for_Family_and_Community_Services_(New_South_Wales))| years=1965{{spaced ndash}}1968}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[Hector Clayton](/source/Hector_Clayton)}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the [Liberal Party](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_(New_South_Wales_Division)) in the Legislative Council||years=1962{{spaced ndash}}1968}}
{{s-aft|after=[Frederick Hewitt](/source/Frederick_Hewitt)}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges, Arthur}}
Category:1901 births
Category:1968 deaths
Category:Australian accountants
Category:Australian Presbyterians
Category:Businesspeople from Sydney
Category:Leaders of the opposition in New South Wales
Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council
Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales
Category:People educated at Fort Street High School
Category:United Australia Party politicians
Category:20th-century Australian politicians
Category:Ministers for families and communities

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Arthur Bridges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Bridges) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Bridges?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.