Peter Coleman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Coleman AO
Coleman in June 2012
30th Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales Elections: 1978
In office 16 December 1977 – 7 October 1978
Premier	Neville Wran
Deputy	John Mason
Preceded by	Sir Eric Willis
Succeeded by	John Mason
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Fuller
In office 24 February 1968 – 12 September 1978
Preceded by	New district
Succeeded by	Rodney Cavalier
Member of the Australian Parliament for Wentworth
In office 11 April 1981 – 5 June 1987
Preceded by	Robert Ellicott
Succeeded by	John Hewson
Personal details
Born	William Peter Coleman (1928-12-15)15 December 1928 Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
Died	31 March 2019(2019-03-31) (aged 90) Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Liberal
Spouses	Verna Susannah Coleman (née Scott)
Children	Tanya Costello Ursula Dubosarsky William Coleman
Alma mater	University of Sydney London School of Economics
Occupation	Writer, journalist

William Peter Coleman (1928–2019) was an important Australian writer and politician. He worked as a journalist for over 60 years. He was the editor of The Bulletin magazine from 1964 to 1967. He also edited Quadrant magazine for 20 years. Peter Coleman wrote 16 books about politics, people's lives, and culture.

Besides his writing, he had a successful political career. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1968 to 1978. He belonged to the Liberal Party. During this time, he served as a Minister in the State Government. For a short period, he was also the Leader of the New South Wales Opposition. Later, from 1981 to 1987, he was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the area of Wentworth.

Growing Up and Early Career

Peter Coleman was born in Melbourne, Australia, on December 15, 1928. His father, Stanley Charles Coleman, worked in advertising. His mother was Norma Victoria Tiernan. The family later moved to Sydney.

Peter went to North Sydney Boys High School. He then studied at the University of Sydney. There, he learned from famous philosophers like John Anderson. After university, he went to the United Kingdom. He studied political ideas at the London School of Economics. In 1952, he earned his Master of Science degree.

On April 5, 1952, Peter married Verna Scott. Verna was a writer and librarian. They had two daughters and one son. Their daughter Tanya became a lawyer. Their daughter Ursula is a well-known children's writer. Their son William is an economist.

After teaching English in Sudan for a year, Peter Coleman returned to Australia. He started his career as a journalist. In 1958, he became an associate editor for The Observer. This was a magazine published every two weeks. In 1961, The Observer joined with The Bulletin. The Bulletin was a famous political and literary magazine.

Peter Coleman became the editor of The Bulletin from 1964 to 1967. During these years, he published his first books. These included Australian Civilization and Obscenity Blasphemy Sedition. The latter was a study of the first 100 years of censorship in Australia. He also published The Bulletin Book and Cartoons of Australian History. In 1967, he left The Bulletin to become the editor of Quadrant magazine. He held this important role for 20 years.

A Career in Politics

In 1968, Peter Coleman was elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He represented the area of Fuller. This area included North Ryde, Gladesville, and Hunters Hill. He won against the Labor Party member, Frank Downing.

At first, Coleman was a regular member of parliament. He gained experience by serving on several important councils. He was on the Australian Council for the Arts from 1968 to 1973. He was also a councilor for the National Institute of Dramatic Art from 1970 to 1985. From 1971 to 1973, he was the Chairman of the Interim Council of the National Film & Television School.

In 1974, Coleman became the Chairman of a special committee. This committee looked at how judges were chosen for the High Court. This work helped prepare for a national vote in 1977.

Becoming a Minister

In June 1975, Peter Coleman was promoted. He became the Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Tom Lewis. Just five months later, in October 1975, he became a Minister. He was appointed Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue.

When Sir Eric Willis became Premier in January 1976, Coleman was given a new role. He became the Chief Secretary. He stayed in this government role until the Willis government lost the election in May 1976. Even though his party lost, Coleman kept his seat in parliament.

Leader of the Opposition

After the election, Peter Coleman served as the Shadow Minister for Justice and Services. This meant he was the main spokesperson for his party on these topics.

On December 16, 1977, Peter Coleman was chosen as the new leader of the Liberal Party. This made him the Leader of the New South Wales Opposition. In the 1978 election, Coleman and his party tried to win by focusing on the past. However, this did not work. The election was a big loss for the Opposition. Peter Coleman himself lost his seat of Fuller to Rodney Cavalier.

Moving to Federal Politics

In September 1979, Coleman was appointed as the Administrator of Norfolk Island. This is a small island territory of Australia.

Later, he was chosen by the Liberal Party to run for a seat in the Australian House of Representatives. This is part of Australia's national parliament. He won the election in April 1981 for the area of Wentworth. He served in federal parliament until 1987. After that, he decided to leave politics and focus on his writing again.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, Peter Coleman became a full-time writer. He wrote many articles and books. One of his important books was The Liberal Conspiracy. This book was about intellectuals and the Cold War. He also wrote biographies about famous Australians. These included poet James McAuley, comedian Barry Humphries, and film director Bruce Beresford.

He also published a collection of his poems and a cookbook. His collection of essays from Quadrant magazine was called The Last Intellectuals. In 2008, he helped his son-in-law, Peter Costello, write his book, The Costello Memoirs: The Age of Prosperity.

During this time, Peter Coleman also recorded interviews. These interviews are now kept at the National Library of Australia. He spoke with many important Australians in journalism, arts, law, and politics. He regularly wrote a column called 'Australian Notes' for the Australian edition of The Spectator. He also wrote for The Australian newspaper and appeared on ABC programs. Peter Coleman passed away on March 31, 2019.

Awards and Recognition

Peter Coleman received several honors for his work. In 2001, he was given the Centenary Medal. In 2008, the University of Sydney awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. This was to recognize his contributions to Australian intellectual life.

On June 8, 2015, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This high honor was given "for distinguished service to the print media industry as a noted editor, journalist, biographer and author, to the Parliaments of Australia and New South Wales, and to the community."

See also

In Spanish: Peter Coleman para niños