Keith Dodgshun

The Honourable Keith Dodgshun
13th Deputy Premier of Victoria
In office 27 June 1950 – 28 October 1952
Premier	John McDonald
Preceded by	Trevor Oldham
Succeeded by	Alexander Dennett
In office 31 October 1952 – 17 December 1952
Preceded by	Alexander Dennett
Succeeded by	Bill Galvin
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Ouyen
In office 5 May 1938 – 3 October 1945
Preceded by	Albert Bussau
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Rainbow
In office 10 November 1945 – 22 April 1955
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	District abolished
Personal details
Born	31 July 1893 Hawthorn, Victoria
Died	12 May 1971 (aged 77) Hopetoun, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Country Party
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Lilian Gulliver (m. 1925)
Occupation	Wheat farmer
Religion	Baptist
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Imperial Force
Years of service	1917–1919
Rank	Gunner
Unit	1st Field Artillery Brigade
Battles/wars	World War I

Keith Dodgshun (31 July 1893 – 12 May 1971) was a politician in Victoria, Australia. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for just under 17 years, representing the electorates of Ouyen and Rainbow for the Country Party from 1938 to 1955.

Early life

Dodgshun was born in the inner Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn to warehouse manager Frederick William Dodgshun and his English wife Rosa May Russell. He was educated at Camberwell Grammar School and the Burnley Agricultural College. He managed his family's property at Mount Egerton for several years before enlisting in the army.^[1]

Military service

Dodgshun enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 7 November 1917,^[2] He was assigned to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade and stationed in France and Belgium during World War I.^[1] He was discharged from the army on 31 March 1919.^[2]

On his return to Australia, Dodgshun settled in Hopetoun where he worked in the soldier settlement scheme.^[1]

Political career

In 1922, Dodgshun joined the United Country Party and became president of the party's Hopetoun branch. From 1933 to 1938, he was a local councillor in the Shire of Karkarooc, until he nominated for election to the lower house of the Victorian state parliament.^[1][3]

Dodgshun was elected unopposed to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the only candidate to nominate for the vacancy in Ouyen caused by the departure of Albert Bussau who had resigned to become Victoria's Agent-General in London, so the by-election scheduled for 5 May 1938 was not held.^[4]

Dodgshun was first made a minister when he was made Chief Secretary in Thomas Hollway's first ministry, until the coalition between the Liberal and Country parties was dissolved after a dispute between Hollway and Country leader John McDonald.^[5]

On 27 June 1950, with the support of the Labor Party, McDonald overthrew Hollway's government and was appointed Premier of Victoria. Dodgshun was made Deputy Premier, Chief Secretary, Minister-in-Charge of Electrical Undertakings and Minister-in-Charge of Immigration. Hollway briefly regained power from 28 to 31 October 1952 as an independent Premier, but his commission was withdrawn by the Governor of Victoria and Dodgshun regained his ministries in McDonald's cabinet, however McDonald was defeated by John Cain's Labor Party less than two months later at the Victorian state election, 1952.^[5]

References

1. Dodgshun, Keith, Re-member (Parliament of Victoria), 1985.
2. Dodds to Dodman, World War I Nominal Roll, Australian War Memorial.
3. "Ouyen Seat.". The Argus (Melbourne: National Library of Australia). 11 February 1938. p. 12. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
4. "ELECTED UNOPPOSED.". The Recorder (Port Pirie, SA: National Library of Australia). 6 May 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
5. B. J. Costar, 'Dodgshun, Keith (1893–1971)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 13 March 2013.