William McMahon

Sir William McMahon, born February 23, 1908, and died March 31, 1988, was an Australian politician and commercial lawyer who served as the country's 20th prime minister from 1971 to 1972, having fought in the Second World War and reached the rank of major before completing an economics degree. Elected to parliament in 1949, he served as Minister for Primary Industry from January 1956 to December 1958 under Country Party leader John McEwen, an appointment noted as a surprise given his lack of experience in agriculture, and he went on to hold the longest continuous ministerial service in Australian history, spanning 1951 to 1971, including terms as Treasurer under Harold Holt and Minister for External Affairs under John Gorton. He lost office after electoral defeat in 1972 and remained in parliament until 1982.