# John Don
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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Don
> Source revision: 1349984927
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{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [The Honourable](/source/The_Honourable)
| name = John Don
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|MBE}}
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| constituency_AM = [Elsternwick](/source/Electoral_district_of_Elsternwick)
| assembly = Victorian Legislative
| term_start = 10 November 1945
| term_end = 27 May 1955
| predecessor = ''District created''
| successor = [Richard Gainey](/source/Richard_Gainey)
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1918|9|10}}
| birth_place = [Ballarat](/source/Ballarat), Victoria, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2013|4|1|1918|9|10}}
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| party = [Liberal Party](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_(Victorian_Division))
[Liberal and Country Party](/source/Liberal_and_Country_Party)
[Victorian Liberal Party](/source/Victorian_Liberal_Party)
| spouse = Joan Davies
| relations =
| children = Three daughters
| parents =
| education =
| alma_mater = [University of Melbourne](/source/University_of_Melbourne)
| occupation =
| profession = Solicitor
| known_for =
| cabinet =
| committees =
| portfolio =
| awards =
| nickname =
| allegiance = Australia
| branch = [Australian Imperial Force](/source/Second_Australian_Imperial_Force)
| service_years = 1940–1946
| rank = Major
| unit = [9th Division Cavalry Regiment](/source/2%2F9th_Cavalry_Commando_Regiment_(Australia))
[British Intelligence Corps](/source/Intelligence_Corps_(United_Kingdom))
| commands =
| battles =
| mawards = [MBE](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) (1943)
}}
'''John Don''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|MBE}} (10 September 1918 – 1 April 2013) was an Australian politician.
Don was born in [Ballarat](/source/Ballarat%2C_Victoria) to solicitor Joseph Edwin Don and Mary Minnie Cross.[{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402224659/http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1025 |title=Don, John |date=2 April 2012}}] He attended various state schools before studying at [Melbourne University](/source/Melbourne_University). During [World War II](/source/World_War_II) he served in the Middle East (serving in the 75th Tank Regiment, 6th American Army)[ and later the Philippines, attaining the rank of [major](/source/major_(rank))][ and being awarded the [MBE](/source/Member_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire) in 1943.][ On 9 March 1943, he married Joan Yvonne Davies,][ with whom he had three daughters.
In 1945, Don was elected to the [Victorian Legislative Assembly](/source/Victorian_Legislative_Assembly) as the [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_(Victorian_Division)) member for [Elsternwick](/source/Electoral_district_of_Elsternwick),][{{Cite Parliament of Victoria Member Profile |name=John Don |id=john-don |access-date=22 August 2025}}] while he was still studying law (he would be admitted as a solicitor in 1954). He was briefly a minister without portfolio in June 1950.[ A supporter of [Thomas Hollway](/source/Thomas_Hollway), he was one of the rebels who voted against the [McDonald](/source/John_McDonald_(Victorian_politician)) [Country Party](/source/National_Party_of_Australia_%E2%80%93_Victoria) government in 1952 and served as [Minister of Transport](/source/Minister_of_Transport_(Victoria)) and Minister of Labour in the [seventy-hour ministry](/source/Second_Hollway_Ministry) that resulted.][ Expelled from the Liberal Party, he was defeated as an [Electoral Reform League](/source/Victorian_Liberal_Party) candidate in 1955. A solicitor after leaving parliament, he later re-joined the Liberal Party. Don died in 2013.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-vic-la}}
{{s-new|seat}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for [Elsternwick](/source/Electoral_district_of_Elsternwick) | years=1945–1955}}
{{s-aft|after=[Richard Gainey](/source/Richard_Gainey)}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[Herbert Hyland](/source/Herbert_Hyland)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[Minister of Transport](/source/Minister_of_Transport_(Victoria))|years=1952}}
{{s-aft|after=[Herbert Hyland](/source/Herbert_Hyland)}}
{{s-bef|before=[Trevor Harvey](/source/Trevor_Harvey_(politician))}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Labour|years=1952}}
{{s-aft|after=[Trevor Harvey](/source/Trevor_Harvey_(politician))}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Don, John}}
Category:1918 births
Category:2013 deaths
Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Category:Victorian Liberal Party (1954) members of the Parliament of Victoria
Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Category:Vice-presidents of the Board of Land and Works
Category:Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire
Category:Australian solicitors
Category:University of Melbourne alumni
Category:Australian Army officers
Category:Australian Army personnel of World War II
Category:Politicians from Ballarat
Category:Ministers for labour (Victoria)
Category:Ministers for transport infrastructure (Victoria)
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Don](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Don) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Don?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
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