John Howard is an Australian solicitor, politician and member of the Liberal Party who served as the 25th Prime Minister of his country. He was elected the Prime Minister in 1996 and held the post till 2007.
Background
Ethnicity:
Howard's ancestors were English, Scottish, and Irish.
Howard was born and raised in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood, in a Methodist family. His mother had been an office worker until her marriage. His father and his paternal grandfather, Walter Howard, were both veterans of the First AIF in World War I. They also ran two Dulwich Hill petrol stations where Howard worked as a boy.
John Winston Howard is the fourth son. His older brothers were Stanley (1926–2014), Walter (b. 1929), and Robert (b. 1936).
Education
Howard attended Earlwood Primary School and Canterbury Boys' High School. He won a citizenship prize in his final year at Earlwood (presented by local politician Eric Willis) and subsequently represented his secondary school at debating as well as cricket and rugby union. Cricket remained a lifelong hobby. In his final year at school, he took part in a radio show hosted by Jack Davey, Give It a Go, broadcast on the commercial radio station, 2GB. After gaining his Leaving Certificate, he studied law at the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1961.
Career
After graduating from University, John Howard practiced as a solicitor in the NSW Supreme Court for twelve years but did not pursue the career of barrister and instead turned to politics.
He joined the Liberal Party of New South Wales in 1957 and became the president of the youth organization of the party ‘Young Liberals’ from 1962 to 1964.
In 1967 he was selected as the candidate for the suburban seat of Drummoyne which was held by Reg Coady of the Labor Party.
In the federal election held in 1968, Howard lost by a very narrow margin to Coady despite the Liberal government returning to power.
He was appointed the ‘Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs’ 1975. He held this position till 1977.
In December 1977, Howard was appointed treasurer and started encouraging free-market economics which was a change from his earlier pro-regulation and protectionist ideas.
John brought in a lot of changes to the economy such as reforming the tax laws, broadening the tax base, which became the GST in future and removing the system of fixing wages centrally. He also abolished the compulsory joining of trade union groups and encouraged deregulation and privatization.
When the Fraser government started an investigation related to financial reforms in 1978, Howard backed the Campbell report despite opposition from the treasury benches.
In 1981 he proposed making the indirect taxation more broad-based and proposed a cut in the personal tax but was refused by the cabinet in its implementation.
In April 1982, he was elected to the post of Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.
Howard wanted to resign from his post in July 1982 due a difference with Fraser on fiscal reforms but later decided to see it through with the advice of his wife and senior advisor John Hewson.
The Liberal government of Fraser lost the elections in 1983. Howard tried to become the leader of the Liberal Party but was defeated by Andrew Peacock.
He became the Deputy Leader of the opposition party when the Labor party came to power in 1984.
In September 1985, he was re-elected as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party by defeating John Moore. Peacock resigned and he defeated Jim Carlton to become the Leader of the Liberal Party and the opposition.
In the 1987 elections the Labor Party retained power and Howard lost the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1989.
He regained the leadership of the Liberal Party on January 26, 1995 when Alexander Downer resigned.
On March 11, 1996, at the age of 56 Howard became the 25th Prime Minister of Australia for the first time.
In 1998 he called for elections three months before it was due and was re-elected for a second term up to 2001.
He sent Australian troops to East Timor in 1999 as a part of the UN peacekeeping force.
He introduced a new tax system in 2000.
He was re-elected for a third term as Prime Minister in the federal elections of 2001.
In April 2002 he sent 2,000 Australian troops to join the ‘Multinational Force in Iraq’ despite several protests from his countrymen.
On December 21, 2004, Howard was elected to the post of Prime Minister for the fourth term thus becoming the longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies.
He lost Prime Minister’s post in the election held in 2007.
Achievements
Politics
Howard joined the Liberal Party in 1957. He held office in the New South Wales Liberal Party on the State Executive and served as President of the Young Liberals (1962–64), the party youth organisation. Howard supported Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, although has since said there were "aspects of it that could have been handled and explained differently".
At the 1963 federal election, Howard acted as campaign manager in his local seat of Parkes for the successful candidacy of Tom Hughes who defeated the 20 year Labor incumbent.
In 1967 with the support of party power brokers, John Carrick and Eric Willis, he was endorsed as candidate for the marginal suburban state seat of Drummoyne, held by ALP member Reg Coady. Howard's mother sold the family home in Earlwood and rented a house with him at Five Dock, a suburb within the electorate. At the election in February 1968, in which the incumbent state Liberal government was returned to office, Howard narrowly lost to Coady, despite campaigning vigorously. Howard and his mother subsequently returned to Earlwood, moving to a house on the same street where he grew up.
At the 1974 federal election, Howard successfully contested the Sydney suburban seat of Bennelong and became a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives during the Gough Whitlam-led Labor Government. Howard backed Malcolm Fraser for the leadership of the Liberal Party against Billy Snedden following the 1974 election. When Fraser won office in December 1975, Howard was appointed Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs, a position in which he served until 1977. At this stage, he followed the protectionist and pro-regulation stance of Fraser and the Liberal Party.
Views
The Australian and New Zealand cricket boards unsuccessfully nominated Howard as their candidate for president of the International Cricket Council, a nomination that was largely criticized due to Howard's unpopularity with cricketing fans. Howard was the chairman of the International Democrat Union, a body of international conservative political parties, until December 2014, when he was succeeded by John Key of New Zealand. In 2008, he was appointed a director of the foundation established to preserve the legacy of Donald Bradman.
In 2017, Howard endorsed a "No" vote in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey and joined the campaign against same-sex marriage.
After becoming the Prime Minister of Australia he brought in amendments to the gun laws, introduced reforms in immigration laws and industrial relations, and imposed a value-added tax for the entire country.
Membership
Howard joined the Liberal Party in 1957. He was a member of the party's New South Wales state executive and served as federal president of the Young Liberals (the party youth organization) from 1962 to 1964.
He was also a ‘Member of Parliament’ in the ‘House of Representatives’ from a suburb in Sydney named Bennelong in the 1974 elections.
Interests
Sport & Clubs
Cricket
Connections
John Howard married Janette Parker, a fellow member in the Liberal Party, in 1971. He has a girl, Melanie and two boys, Tim, and Richard from the marriage.