John Lemmon (politician)

The Honourable John Lemmon
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Williamstown
In office 1 June 1904 – 22 April 1955
Preceded by	Alexander Ramsay
Succeeded by	Larry Floyd
Personal details
Born	15 July 1875 Carlton, Victoria
Died	28 October 1955 (aged 80) Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Resting place	Springvale Botanical Cemetery
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Edith Ruddock (m. 1905)
Children	Nelson Lemmon
Occupation	Carpenter
Religion	Presbyterian

John Lemmon (15 July 1875 – 28 October 1955) was an Australian politician. He served the longest ever term as a member of the Victorian Parliament, being an MLA for over fifty years.

Born in Carlton to English wood turner Samuel Lemmon and his Irish wife Matilda Thompson, he attended Rathdowne St Primary School, the Trades Hall School and then Workingmen's College. He was a carpenter for five years and then a cutter, joining the Timber Workers' Union at the age of fifteen. On 25 April 1905 he married Edith Ruddock, with whom he had three children. In 1904 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Williamstown. In December 1913 he was briefly Minister of Public Instruction and Labour, serving again from July to November 1924 and from May 1927 to November 1928. In December 1929 he resumed his old post, serving until March 1932. He was the secretary of the Parliamentary Labor Party from 1913 to 1938. Lemmon held the seat until 1955; his term was the longest of any member of the Victorian Parliament.^[1] He died of cancer later that year at Hawthorn.^[2]

His son, Nelson Lemmon, later became a federal minister.

References

1. "Lemmon, John". Parliament of Victoria. 1985. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
2. Ann G. Smith, 'Lemmon, John (1875–1955)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 11 March 2013.