{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Lin Gordon | honorific_suffix = | image = | constituency_MP = Murrumbidgee | parliament = New South Wales | term_start = 1970 | term_end = 24 March 1984 | predecessor = Al Grassby | successor = Adrian Cruickshank | majority = | birth_name = Alan Robert Lindsay Gordon | birth_date = 19 January 1917 | birth_place = Cessnock, New South Wales | death_date = {{Death date and age|2011|6|16|1917|1|19|df=yes}} | death_place = Wagga Wagga, New South Wales | resting_place = | party = Labor Party | relations = | spouse = Valerie | children = 5 | occupation = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Alan Robert Lindsay Gordon''' (19 January 1917 – 16 June 2011) was an Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Murrumbidgee in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1970 to 1984. He was Minister for Conservation and Water Resources from 1976 to 1981 (with Conservation replaced by Lands and Forests in 1980), Minister for Local Government and Lands from 1981 to 1984, and Minister for Lands and Ports for a few months in 1984.
Gordon was born in Cessnock to baker David Irvine Gordon and Mary Mildred Cleary.<ref name=TI>{{cite news|title=Politician's legacy won't be forgotten |url=http://www.irrigator.com.au/news/local/news/general/politicians-legacy-wont-be-forgotten/2200860.aspx |accessdate=24 June 2011 |newspaper=The Irrigator |date=21 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314074325/http://www.irrigator.com.au/news/local/news/general/politicians-legacy-wont-be-forgotten/2200860.aspx |archivedate=14 March 2012 }}</ref> He was educated at government schools in Cessnock and after graduating was apprenticed to a pharmacy. He attended the University of Sydney, graduating in 1945. On 6 November 1943 he married Valerie Merle Webber, with whom he had five children.<ref name=TI /> He subsequently owned a pharmacy, and also a trotting stud near Leeton.<ref name=TI /> A Roman Catholic, he joined the Labor Party in 1962.<ref name=TI /> In 1965, he was elected to Leeton Shire Council, where he served until 1970 (including a year as president, 1969–1970).<ref name=TI /><ref name="Lin Gordon NSW Parl">{{Cite NSW Parliament |id=1759 |name=The Hon. Alan Robert Lindsay Gordon |former=Yes |access-date=4 May 2019}}</ref>
When Al Grassby, Labor member for Murrumbidgee, resigned in 1969 to contest the federal seat of Riverina, Gordon was selected as the Labor candidate for the resulting by-election, which took place early in 1970.<ref name=TI /> He easily defeated his Liberal and Country Party opponents.<ref name=green>{{Cite NSW election |title=Elections for Murrumbidgee |year=DistrictIndexes |district=Murrumbidgee |accessdate=4 May 2019}}</ref> In 1976, he was appointed to the ministry, holding the Conservation and Water Resources portfolios.<ref name=TI /> He briefly served as Acting Minister for Health in 1977, for Local Government in 1978 and for Corrective Services in 1979.<ref name=TI /> In 1980 the Conservation portfolio was split into Lands and Forests, both of which were retained by Gordon.<ref name=TI /> In 1981 his Forests and Water Resources portfolios were exchanged for Local Government, which in turn was exchanged for Ports in 1984.<ref name="Lin Gordon NSW Parl"/> Gordon retired in 1984; his seat was won by National Party candidate Adrian Cruickshank in his absence.<ref name=TI />
Gordon died at his Wagga Wagga home on 16 June 2011.<ref>{{cite news|last=Glover|first=Ben|title=Former Murrumbidgee MP Lin Gordon dies at 94|url=http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/news/local/news/general/former-murrumbidgee-mp-lin-gordon-dies-at-94/2200253.aspx|accessdate=20 June 2011|newspaper=The Daily Advertiser|date=20 June 2011}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|au-nsw-la}} {{succession box | title=Member for Murrumbidgee | before=Al Grassby | after=Adrian Cruickshank | years=1970–1984}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Lin}} Category:1917 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Category:People from Cessnock, New South Wales Category:Ministers for the environment (New South Wales)