John McEwen

The Right Honourable Sir John McEwen GCMG CH
McEwen in 1957
18th Prime Minister of Australia
In office 19 December 1967 – 10 January 1968
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor‑General	Lord Casey
Preceded by	Harold Holt
Succeeded by	John Gorton
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
In office 10 January 1968 – 5 February 1971
Prime Minister	John Gorton
Preceded by	Office established; Himself (de facto, 1967)
Succeeded by	Doug Anthony
De facto 26 March 1958 – 17 December 1967
Prime Minister	Robert Menzies Harold Holt
Preceded by	Arthur Fadden
Succeeded by	Himself (1968)
5th Leader of the Country Party
In office 26 March 1958 – 5 February 1971
Deputy	Charles Davidson Charles Adermann Doug Anthony
Preceded by	Arthur Fadden
Succeeded by	Doug Anthony
Deputy Leader of the Country Party
In office 22 September 1943 – 26 March 1958
Leader	Arthur Fadden
Preceded by	Arthur Fadden
Succeeded by	Charles Davidson
Cabinet posts Minister for Trade and Industry In office 18 December 1963 – 5 February 1971 Prime Minister Robert Menzies Harold Holt Himself John Gorton Preceded by Himself (Trade) Succeeded by Doug Anthony Minister for Trade In office 11 January 1956 – 18 December 1963 Prime Minister Robert Menzies Preceded by Neil O'Sullivan (Trade and Customs) Succeeded by Himself (Trade and Industry) Minister for Commerce and Agriculture In office 19 December 1949 – 11 January 1956 Prime Minister Robert Menzies Preceded by Reg Pollard Succeeded by William McMahon Minister for Air In office 28 October 1940 – 7 October 1941 Prime Minister Robert Menzies Arthur Fadden Preceded by Arthur Fadden Succeeded by Arthur Drakeford Minister for Civil Aviation In office 28 October 1940 – 7 October 1941 Prime Minister Robert Menzies Arthur Fadden Preceded by Arthur Fadden Succeeded by Arthur Drakeford Minister for External Affairs In office 14 March 1940 – 28 October 1940 Prime Minister Robert Menzies Preceded by Henry Gullett Succeeded by Frederick Stewart Minister for the Interior In office 29 November 1937 – 26 April 1939 Prime Minister Joseph Lyons Earle Page Preceded by Thomas Paterson Succeeded by Harry Foll
Parliamentary roles Father of the House In office 30 September 1969 – 1 February 1971 Preceded by Joe Clark Succeeded by Arthur Calwell Member of the House of Representatives In office 10 December 1949 – 1 February 1971 Preceded by constituency established Succeeded by Bruce Lloyd Constituency Murray In office 23 October 1937 – 10 December 1949 Preceded by William Hutchinson Succeeded by William Bostock Constituency Indi In office 15 September 1934 – 23 October 1937 Preceded by William Hill Succeeded by constituency abolished Constituency Echuca
Personal details
Born	(1900-03-29)29 March 1900 Chiltern, Victoria, Australia
Died	20 November 1980(1980-11-20) (aged 80) Toorak, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Country
Spouses	Anne McLeod ​ ​ (m. 1921; died 1967)​ Mary Byrne ​ (m. 1968)​
Education	Wangaratta State School Dandenong State School
Occupation	Farmer, politician

Sir John McEwen (29 March 1900 – 20 November 1980) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia from 1967 to 1968, in a caretaker capacity following the disappearance of prime minister Harold Holt. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1958 to 1971, serving as the inaugural deputy prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971.

McEwen was born in Chiltern, Victoria. He was orphaned at the age of seven and raised by his grandmother, initially in Wangaratta and then in Dandenong. McEwen left school when he was 13 and joined the Australian Army at the age of 18, but the war ended before his unit was shipped out. He was nonetheless eligible for a soldier settlement scheme, and selected a property at Stanhope. He established a dairy farm, but later bought a larger property and farmed beef cattle.

After several previous unsuccessful candidacies, McEwen was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1934 federal election. He was first elevated to cabinet by Joseph Lyons in 1937. McEwen became deputy leader of the Country Party in 1943, under Arthur Fadden. He replaced Fadden as leader in 1958, and remained in the position until his retirement from politics in 1971. He served in parliament for 36 years in total, spending a record 25 years as a government minister.

The Liberal-Country Coalition returned to power in 1949, initially under Robert Menzies and then under Harold Holt. McEwen came to have a major influence on economic policy, particularly in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, and trade. As soon as McEwen became the leader of the Country Party, he became the de facto deputy prime minister.

In December 1967, Harold Holt disappeared and was presumed dead while in office. As the de facto deputy prime minister, McEwen was commissioned as caretaker prime minister while the Liberal Party elected a new leader. He was 67 at the time, the oldest person to become prime minister and only the third from the Country Party. McEwen ceded power to John Gorton after 23 days in office in January 1968, and in recognition of his service was appointed deputy prime minister, the first time that position had been formally created. He was Australia's third shortest serving prime minister, after Earle Page and Frank Forde. He remained as deputy prime minister until his retirement from politics in 1971.