Bill Hegney, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Bill Hegney

Date of Birth: 11-Jan-1896

Place of Birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Date of Death: 13-Oct-1982

Profession: politician, trade unionist

Nationality: Australia

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn


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About Bill Hegney

  • William "Bill" Hegney (11 January 1896 – 13 October 1982) was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1939 to 1968.
  • He served as a minister in the government of Albert Hawke. Hegney was born in Melbourne, as was his older brother James (also a future MP).
  • The brothers came to Western Australia as children, where their father worked for Western Australian Government Railways.
  • Hegney initially worked as a clerk with the Taxation Department, but later moved to the country, working as a shear and labourer.
  • From 1920, he was the secretary and organiser of the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) in Northam, with responsibility for much of regional Western Australia.
  • At the 1927 state election, Hegney ran against Sir James Mitchell, the Leader of the Opposition, losing by only a small margin.
  • He was soon after elected to the state executive of the AWU, and eventually elected as a delegate from Western Australia to the AWU national executive council.At the 1939 state election, Hegney was elected to the seat of Pilbara, defeating the sitting Nationalist member, Frank Welsh.
  • At the 1947 election, he defeated an independent candidate, Leonard Taplin, by only a single vote, a result that was subsequently overturned by the Court of Disputed Returns.
  • He went on to win the resulting by-election, keeping his seat.
  • Hegney switched to the seat of Mount Hawthorn (located within the Perth metropolitan area) at the 1950 election.
  • His old seat was won by Aloysius Rodoreda, the former member for Roebourne.
  • After Labor's victory at the 1953 election, Hegney was made Minister for Native Welfare, Minister for Labour, and Minister for Prices in the Hawke government.
  • After the 1956 election, his titles were Minister for Labour and Minister for Education, which he held until the defeat of the Labor government three years later.
  • Hegney remained in parliament until his retirement at the 1968 election.

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