Enid Lyons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Enid Lyons
AD, GBE
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Lyons in 1950
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| Vice-President of the Executive Council | |
| In office 19 December 1949 – 7 March 1951 |
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| Prime Minister | Robert Menzies |
| Preceded by | William Scully |
| Succeeded by | Robert Menzies |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Darwin |
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| In office 21 August 1943 – 19 March 1951 |
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| Preceded by | George Bell |
| Succeeded by | Aubrey Luck |
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia | |
| In office 6 January 1932 – 7 April 1939 |
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| Preceded by | Sarah Scullin |
| Succeeded by | Ethel Page |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Enid Muriel Burnell
9 July 1897 Smithton, Tasmania, Australia |
| Died | 2 September 1981 (aged 84) Ulverstone, Tasmania, Australia |
| Resting place | Mersey Vale Memorial Park, Quoiba |
| Political party | Labor (until 1931) UAP (1931–1945) Liberal (after 1945) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 12, inc. Brendan and Kevin |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Dame Enid Muriel Lyons (born Burnell; 9 July 1897 – 2 September 1981) was an important Australian politician. She was the first woman ever elected to the Australian House of Representatives, which is a part of Australia's federal parliament. She was also the first woman to be a member of the federal cabinet, which is a group of senior government ministers.
Before she became a politician herself, Enid Lyons was well-known as the wife of Joseph Lyons. He was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1932 to 1939. He was also the Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928.
Enid Lyons was born in Smithton, Tasmania. She grew up in small towns in northern Tasmania and trained to be a schoolteacher. When she was 17, she married Joseph Lyons, who was almost 18 years older than her. They had twelve children together.
As her husband's political career grew, Enid started helping him with his campaigns. She became known as a very good public speaker. In 1925, she was one of the first two women to run for the Labor Party in a Tasmanian state election. Later, she followed her husband into the new United Australia Party (UAP) after the Labor Party split in 1931.
When her husband became prime minister in 1932, Enid Lyons moved to The Lodge in Canberra, which is the official home of the Prime Minister. She was one of the most famous prime ministers' wives. She wrote newspaper articles, spoke on the radio, and gave speeches outdoors. Her husband died suddenly in 1939, which was a big shock. She stepped away from public life for a while.
In the 1943 Australian federal election, Enid Lyons successfully ran for the UAP in the Division of Darwin. She and Senator Dorothy Tangney became the first two women elected to Australia's federal parliament. In 1945, Lyons joined the new Liberal Party. From 1949 to 1951, she served as Vice-President of the Executive Council in the Menzies Government. This made her the first woman in a federal cabinet. She retired from parliament after three terms. However, she stayed involved in public life. She was a board member of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1951–1962) and a social commentator.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Birth and Childhood in Tasmania
Enid Lyons was born on 8 July 1897 in Leesville, a small sawmilling town near Smithton, Tasmania. She was the second of four children born to Eliza and William Burnell. Her father was a sawyer and a talented musician from England. Her mother was born in South Australia.
In 1901, Enid and her family moved to Stowport, Tasmania. She started school at a one-room public school. Her mother earned extra money by mending clothes and delivering meals. She wanted her daughters to become teachers, as this was a good way for girls to get a state-funded education back then. In 1904, the family moved to Cooee, Tasmania. They ran a small shop and her mother was the local postmistress. They also had a dancehall that they rented out for community events. Enid and her siblings went to school in Burnie.
Marriage and Family Life
Enid's mother introduced her 15-year-old daughter to Joseph Lyons, who was a rising politician in Tasmania. On 28 April 1915, Enid and Joseph married in Wynyard, Tasmania. She was 17, and he was 35. Enid had been raised as a Methodist, but she became a Roman Catholic at Joseph's request. They had twelve children together. Sadly, one of their children died when they were very young.
Early Political Involvement
Enid's husband, Joseph, had been an MP since 1909. He became the state leader of the Labor Party in 1916. Enid was also an active member of the Labor Party. She attended the 1918 state conference as a delegate for the women's branch. She helped change one motion and supported a motion for compulsory military training.
Being the wife of the opposition leader made her more visible to the public. From the 1922 Tasmanian state election onwards, she started making appearances for him. In October 1923, her husband became the premier of Tasmania unexpectedly. Enid was expected to attend many social events on his behalf. However, she had to pay for her own expenses and often used public transport.
In 1924, Enid gave birth to her seventh child. This was the first child born to an acting Tasmanian premier. The family faced some challenges over the next two years. In mid-1925, she was sick with mumps for two months. Soon after, her baby son died. A few months later, she had a difficult pregnancy. In July 1926, her husband was badly hurt in a car accident.
Running for State Parliament in 1925
In 1925, Enid Lyons and her mother became the first women to run as Labor Party candidates in Tasmania. The 1925 Tasmanian state election was only the second election where Tasmanian women could run for state parliament. Enid ran in the seat of Denison, which was based in Hobart. Her mother ran in the seat of Darwin, which included her hometown of Burnie.
Enid, who was 27, became a "natural local candidate." She gave many public speeches to support her own campaign and to help her husband. She started her campaign at the Hobart Town Hall. She spoke about increasing government funding for education and health. She also talked about improving housing in Hobart and having the government control milk distribution and the saw-milling industry. She mostly appealed to women voters. She often used examples from home life in her speeches. The Labor Party won its first majority government in Tasmania. Enid Lyons finished close to winning her election in Denison.
Federal Politics and Prime Minister's Wife
In 1931, Joseph Lyons left the Labor Party and joined the United Australia Party (UAP). He became prime minister in the next election. Enid Lyons was given a special honour, becoming a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1937.
Joseph Lyons died in April 1939 at the age of 59. He was the first Australian prime minister to die while still in office. Dame Enid then returned to Tasmania. After her husband's death, the government provided financial support for her and their seven children who were still dependent.
Life After Joseph's Death
Enid Lyons was very sad and tired after her husband's death. She spent several weeks in the hospital. She was offered the chance to run for his seat in parliament, but she said no.
In December 1939, Enid Lyons started a series of weekly radio broadcasts for 7LA Launceston. These talks were also broadcast on other radio stations. She turned down other offers to speak on the radio. Her broadcasts ended in June 1940. That same year, she moved to Melbourne to be closer to her children's schools. Her mother died in January 1941. Enid returned to Devonport, Tasmania, and stayed out of public life for a few years.
Member of Parliament (1943–1951)
Enid Lyons was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in the 1943 Australian federal election. She and Senator Dorothy Tangney were the first two women to enter federal parliament. After the current MP, George Bell, retired, Enid decided to run for the UAP in her home area of Darwin. She campaigned in distant areas and often used radio broadcasts. She won the election, even though the UAP lost many votes across the country. She defeated the Labor Party candidate, Eric Reece, who later became a premier.
Lyons gave her first speech in the House of Representatives on 29 September 1943. She later repeated her speech for a radio broadcast. She started by talking about how historic the moment was. She focused on important issues like social welfare programs, payments for children, and training programs for people after the war. In later speeches, she also spoke about other topics. She joined the new Liberal Party of Australia when it was formed in 1945. She was elected to the federal policy committee. She helped get support for free medical treatment for pensioners and child payments as official party policies.
Lyons was re-elected in the 1946 Australian federal election with more votes. In her second term, she became more active in parliament. She sometimes argued with Minister Arthur Calwell.
Cabinet Role and Retirement
Enid Lyons had some health problems before the 1949 Australian federal election. During the campaign, she had an urgent operation on her neck. She spent four weeks in the hospital recovering. Her father also died during this time.
Lyons won her election again with even more votes. Many people expected her to be appointed to a senior government position. She was made Vice-President of the Executive Council. This was mostly an honorary position. Lyons was sworn into office on 19 December 1949, becoming the first woman to serve in a federal cabinet. She continued to have health issues. Her involvement in cabinet discussions was limited. She did successfully push for a woman to be appointed to the committee for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. She was concerned by the cabinet's decision to send Australian troops to the Korean War.
Lyons resigned from cabinet on 7 March 1951 due to her health. She decided not to run for re-election in the 1951 Australian federal election. This ended her time in parliament.
Later Life and Achievements
After retiring, Dame Enid's health improved. She wrote newspaper columns from 1951 to 1954. She was also a commissioner for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1951 to 1962. She continued to be active in public life, supporting families and women's issues. She wrote three books about her life.
Lyons was made a Dame of the Order of Australia (AD) on Australia Day 1980. She was the second woman to receive this high honour. Enid Lyons died in Ulverstone, Tasmania on 2 September 1981, at the age of 84. She had a state funeral in Devonport and was buried next to her husband.
Legacy
Jo Gullett, a fellow member of parliament, wrote in his book that "perhaps the wisest and most far-sighted of them all was a woman, Dame Enid Lyons."
A group of Liberal/National opposition parties formed an informal political group called the Lyons Forum in 1992. The group was named after Enid Lyons' first speech in the House of Representatives.
Children
Enid Lyons had twelve children. Her first child was born when she was 19, and her last when she was 36. All but one of her children lived to adulthood. Her son Garnet, born in 1924, died at 10 months old. Another son, Barry, was born with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism.
- Gerald Desmond (1916–2000)
- Sheila Mary Norma (1918–2000)
- Enid Veronica (1919–1988)
- Kathleen Patricia (1920–2012)
- Moira Rose (1922–1991)
- Kevin Orchard (1923–2000)
- Garnet Philip Burnell (1924–1925)
- Brendan Aloysius (1927–2010)
- Barry Joseph (1928–2015)
- Rosemary Josephine (1929–1999)
- Peter Julian (1931–2021)
- Janice Mary (1933–2020)
See also
- List of the first women holders of political offices in Oceania
