Norman Makin

The Honourable Norman Makin AO
Member of the Australian Parliament for Hindmarsh
In office 13 December 1919 – 14 August 1946
Preceded by	William Archibald
Succeeded by	Albert Thompson
Member of the Australian Parliament for Sturt
In office 29 May 1954 – 10 December 1955
Preceded by	Keith Wilson
Succeeded by	Keith Wilson
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bonython
In office 10 December 1955 – 1 November 1963
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Martin Nicholls
7th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
In office 20 November 1929 – 16 February 1932
Preceded by	Sir Littleton Groom
Succeeded by	George Mackay
Personal details
Born	(1889-03-31)31 March 1889 Petersham, New South Wales
Died	Adelaide, South Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Ruby Florence nee Jennings
Occupation	Metal worker
Religion	Methodist

Norman John Oswald Makin AO (31 March 1889 – 20 July 1982), Australian politician, was a Cabinet minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives and diplomat.

Early life

Makin was born in Petersham, a suburb of Sydney, the son of an itinerant worker. He received a primary education in Broken Hill, then moved with his family to Adelaide, where he became a metal-worker. He was active in the Australian Society of Engineers and the Australian Labor Party from an early age. By 1918 he was President of the South Australian branch of the Labor Party. In his private life Makin was a lay Methodist preacher.

First political career

In 1919 he was elected to the House of Representatives for the safe Labor seat of Hindmarsh in the working-class suburbs of Adelaide. Makin spent ten years in Opposition before the election of the Scullin Labor government in 1929. He hoped to be elected to Cabinet, but had to be content with the parliamentary position of Speaker, a post in which he performed capably, being noted for his even temperament and his courtesy to all members. In 1932, following the defeat of the Scullin government, he returned to the Opposition benches, and was Secretary of the Labor Caucus during the 1930s.

By 1941, when Labor returned to power under John Curtin, Makin had an undeniable claim to office, and became Minister for the Navy and Minister for Munitions – key posts in a wartime government. In 1945 he also became Minister for Aircraft Production. He established good relations with service chiefs and played an important role in Australia's successful transition to a wartime economy. When Curtin died in 1945, Makin contested the leadership along with Ben Chifley and caretaker Prime Minister Frank Forde, but Chifley succeeded.

As diplomat

In 1946 Chifley appointed Makin as the Australian Ambassador to the United States, a post he held until 1951. In the gathering Cold War atmosphere of the post-war years, this was a position of great importance to Australia, and Makin performed it so well that the incoming Liberal Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, kept him in the post after the change of government in 1949. In 1946 he served as the first President of the United Nations Security Council.

During his time in the United States, Makin was involved with the highly influential, conservative Christian coalition now known as The Family, that was notable for organizing the National Prayer Breakfast, but otherwise shunned publicity. In 1948 Makin was a key speaker at a meeting of this group and was recorded in a 1949 newsletter as having started up similar groups in Australia.

Return to politics and later life

After leaving his diplomatic post, Makin returned to Australia. Although he was by now in his mid-60s, he decided to return to politics. At the 1954 election he captured the marginal Liberal seat of Sturt for Labor on a 53 percent primary and two-party vote from a 5.4 percent swing. Sturt was significantly redistributed prior to the 1955 election. Most of the Labor-friendly territory in Sturt was shifted to the newly created Bonython. While this redistribution made Sturt notionally Liberal, Bonython was notionally a comfortably safe Labor seat. Makin opted to transfer to Bonython, which he won easily. While still a Member of Parliament in 1961 he authored a book with brief biographies of all leaders of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party until that time. He retired at the 1963 election, but remained active in Labor affairs for many years. He died in Adelaide in 1982 at the age of 93. He was the second-last surviving member of Curtin's Cabinet; Forde outlived him by one year.

Honoured in naming of electoral division

The electorate of Makin, established in 1984 in Adelaide's northeastern suburbs, is named after him.

File:Normanmakin.jpg

Makin at an older age

See also

• Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd.

External links

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by William Archibald	Member for Hindmarsh 1919–1946	Succeeded by Albert Thompson
Preceded by Littleton Groom	Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives 1929–1931	Succeeded by George Mackay
Preceded by Keith Wilson	Member for Sturt 1954–1955	Succeeded by Keith Wilson
New division	Member for Bonython 1955–1963	Succeeded by Martin Nicholls
Political offices
Preceded by Billy Hughes	Ministers for the Navy 1941–1946	Succeeded by Arthur Drakeford
Preceded by Philip McBride	Ministers for Munitions 1941–1946	Succeeded by John Dedman
Preceded by Don Cameron	Ministers for Aircraft Production 1945–1946
Diplomatic posts
New title	Head of the Australian Delegation to the United Nations 1945–1946	Succeeded by Paul Hasluck as Permanent Representative
Preceded by Sir Frederick Eggleston	Australian Ambassador to the United States 1946–1951	Succeeded by Sir Percy Spender
New title	President of the United Nations Security Council 1946	Succeeded by Cyro de Freitas Valle
Preceded by Herschel Johnson	President of the United Nations Security Council January 1947	Succeeded by Fernand van Langenhove