Francis Forde

Francis Forde was born in Mitchell, Queensland on July 6, 1890. He attended the Christian Brothers College at Toowoomba. Forde grew up and became a teacher at the College, then an electrician and an electrical engineer at Rockhampton.

Career in Parliament[edit]

Forde was elected to the Queensland Assembly in Rockhampton in 1917 for a five-year term. In 1922 he was elected to the Commonwealth Government. In 1923 he became Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and then in the same year he became Deputy Leader for the Opposition for nine years. In 1941, when the Labor party won the election, Forde becomes Minister for the Army. After this, he served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1941 to 1946. As Deputy Prime Minister he took over as Prime Minister at the death of John Curtin. He only held the position for eight days before Ben Chifley, took over on the 13th of July 1945. Francis Forde was appointed High Commissioner to Canada in 1946 for seven years.

Death[edit]

Forde died at ninety two years of age on the 13th of August 1983.