Personal profile

Born

11 July 1916, Kew, Victoria

Education

• Telopea Park High School
• Canberra Grammar School
• University of Sydney (1946)

Employment

• barrister
• navigator, Royal Australian Air Force (1941-45)
• politician
• company director

Memberships

• Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues and World Heritage Committee
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• University of Sydney Senate
• Academy of Athens
• Hanoi Architectural Heritage Foundation

Marriage

22 April 1942, Vaucluse, New South Wales

Children

• Antony (1944)
• Nicholas (1945)
• Stephen (1950)
• Catherine (1954)

Died

21 October 2014, Sydney, New South Wales

Honours

• Queen’s Counsel (QC; 1962)
• Socialist International Plate of Honour (1976)
• Companion of the Order of Australia (AC; 1978)

Partner

Name

Margaret Elaine Whitlam

Previous name

Margaret Elaine Dovey

Born

19 November 1919, Bondi, New South Wales

Memberships

Australian Labor Party (National Life Member 2007)

Died

17 March 2012, Sydney, New South Wales

Honours

• Order of Australia (AO; 1983)
• Doctor of Letters
  • University of Queensland (1994)
  • University of New England (1995)

Political profile

Term as Prime Minister

5 December 1972 to 11 November 1975

Terms as Member of Parliament

• House of Representatives: 17 February 1953 to 31 July 1978 (Werriwa)
• Deputy Leader of the Opposition: March 1960 to February 1967
• Leader of the Opposition:
  • February 1967 to December 1972
  • November 1975 to December 1977

Portfolios

• 13 portfolios: 5 to 19 December 1972
• Foreign Affairs: December 1972 to November 1973
• Environment: July 1975

Political memberships

• Australian Labor Party (1945-2014)
  • federal parliamentary leader (February 1967 to December 1977)
• Socialist International
• UNESCO Executive Board

After office

• Australian Ambassador to UNESCO (1983-86)
• Chair, National Gallery of Australia Council (1987-90)
• Chair, Australia-China Council (1986-91)