Mervyn Lee

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Mervyn Lee | honorific_suffix = | image = Mervyn_Lee_1968.jpg | constituency_MP = Lalor | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = Reg Pollard | successor = Jim Cairns | term_start = 26 November 1966 | term_end = 25 October 1969 | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1920|8|18}} | birth_place = Broadford, Victoria | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2009|12|13|1920|8|18}} | death_place = Kilmore, Victoria | spouse = | party = Liberal Party of Australia | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Drapery and hardware merchant | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = | alt = Mervyn William Lee }} '''Mervyn William Lee''' (18 August 1920 – 13 December 2009) was an Australian politician who served as the Liberal member for Lalor from 1966 to 1969. He died in December 2009 at the age of 89.<ref>[http://tributes.heraldsun.com.au/archivenotice/2820777/view?random=1547534694872 Herald Sun]. Retrieved 15 January 2019</ref>

==Early life and war service== Born in Broadford, Victoria in August 1920, he was educated at Kingswood College in Melbourne before becoming a Commonwealth public servant. After serving in the Royal Australian Navy in World War II 1941–46, he became a drapery and hardware merchant. He played Australian rules football for Acton in the Canberra Australian National Football League and while captain of Acton in 1947 won the Mulrooney Medal.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106950925 |title=MP was noted Rules player. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |location=ACT |date=8 December 1966 |accessdate=18 March 2015 |page=44 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Political career== In 1966, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal member for Lalor, defeating long-serving Labor member Reg Pollard.

Prior to the 1969 election, a redistribution shrunk Lalor to a quarter of its size in south-western Melbourne.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://handbook.aph.gov.au/Electorate/Lalor/State/Victoria|title=Lalor|website=Parliamentary Handbook|access-date=8 June 2025}}</ref> The redistribution erased his majority and gave Labor a notional six-percent majority.<ref name=Psephos/> Broadford and the surrounding areas where Lee was based in was also transferred from Lalor to the Division of Bendigo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://handbook.aph.gov.au/Electorate/Bendigo/State/Victoria|title=Bendigo|website=Parliamentary Handbook|access-date=8 June 2025}}</ref> As a result, Lee went to unsuccessfully contest Bendigo instead.<ref name=Psephos>{{cite web|last=Carr |first=Adam |title=Commonwealth of Australia Lesiglative Election of 25 October 1969|work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1969/1969repsvic.txt |year=2008 |accessdate=20 June 2008 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803204538/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1969/1969repsvic.txt |archivedate=3 August 2008 }}</ref> He had early considered standing as the Liberal candidate at the 1969 Bendigo by-election, which would have required a by-election in Lalor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107089940|title=Lee out of Bendigo contest|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=22 April 1969}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title=Member for Lalor | before=Reg Pollard| after=Jim Cairns| years=1966–1969}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Mervyn}} Category:1920 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Acton Football Club players Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Category:Hardware merchants Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Lalor Category:Public servants from Melbourne Category:Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Category:Australian MPs 1966–1969