Francis Matthew John Baker

Frank Baker
Member of the Australian Parliament for Oxley
In office 19 December 1931 – 15 September 1934
Preceded by	James Bayley
Succeeded by	Division abolished
Member of the Australian Parliament for Griffith
In office 15 September 1934 – 28 March 1939
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	William Conelan
Personal details
Born	1903 Bundaberg, Queensland
Died	28 March 1939 (aged 35–36)
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party

Francis (Frank) Matthew John Baker (1903 – 28 March 1939) was an Australian politician and vice-president of the State Service Union.^[1]

Baker was born in Bundaberg, Queensland. A member of the Federal Labor Party, he unsuccessfully ran for office for the Queensland seat of Oxley in the 1928 federal election, being beaten by James Bayley of the Nationalist Party. He made a second run for the seat in 1929, and narrowly lost to Bayley.

In the 1931 election he contested Oxley for a third time, this time successfully. He was one of only two Labor challengers to defeat a Coalition incumbent in an election that saw the two Labor factions cut down to 18 seats between them. Following the abolition of Oxley, Baker successfully contested Griffith, essentially a reconfigured version of Oxley, in 1934 and won. He was reelected in 1937. He remained in parliament until 1939 when he was killed in a motor accident.^[2] His death resulted in the 1939 Griffith by-election.

In 1936, Baker led a proposal for Australian parliamentary proceedings to be broadcast on radio.^[3]

Following his death, the Australian prime minister, Joseph Lyons, commented that "had he lived, I am sure he would have advanced to an important place in his party."^[2] Baker studied law while a member of parliament and had almost completed his course when he died.^[2]

Baker's father, Francis (Frank) Patrick Baker, was elected to the seat of Maranoa in 1940. This is the only case in which a father was elected to the Australian federal parliament after his son.^[4]

Baker is buried in South Brisbane Cemetery.^[5]

References

1. "Commonwealth of Australia - Legislative Election of 19 December 1931". Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
2. "Mr. Baker, M.P. - His Death Mourned". The Canberra Times. 30 March 1939. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
3. "Parliament Over Air, Proposal to Broadcast Debates". The Canberra Times. 29 April 1936. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
4. "Commonwealth of Australia - Legislative Election of 21 September 1940". Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
5. Baker Francis Mathew John — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 12 May 2014.