John Curtin's fourteen-year career in federal politics included two terms as member for the Western Australian seat of Fremantle in the House of Representatives: from November 1928 to December 1931 and from September 1934 until his death in July 1945.
From October 1935 to October 1941 he was Leader of the Opposition and subsequently prime minister for the rest of his life. As a consequence, he was the Australian Labor party parliamentary leader during three federal elections-in October 1937, September 1940 and August 1943-each of which was held in the context of looming or actual wartime conflict.
The outcomes of these
three elections varied significantly and his unprecedented electoral triumph
in 1943 came only after many years of grappling both with internal party
divisions and an extraordinarily challenging political environment.
Author: Emeritus Professor David Black, JCPML Historical Consultant
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