Tom Hughes (Australian politician)

Thomas Eyre Forrest "Tom" Hughes AO QC (born 26 November 1923) is a former Australian politician and a prominent barrister practising at Blackstone Chambers in Sydney, who served as the 19th Attorney-General of Australia from 1969 to 1971. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1963 to 1972, representing first the seat of Parkes and then (when Parkes was abolished in 1969) the seat of Berowra.

Early life and education

Born in South Sydney, Hughes was the son of lawyer and aviator Geoffrey Forrest Hughes. His grandfather and great-uncle were members of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and the University of Sydney,^[1] where he graduated in law. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II and was awarded the French Légion d'honneur in 2005 for his courage while flying planes in the Invasion of Normandy.^[2] He was called to the Sydney bar in 1949, becoming a QC in 1962.

Career

Hughes defeated the long-serving Labor member Les Haylen to unexpectedly win the seat of Parkes at the 1963 elections. He was attorney-general in the government of John Gorton, but was dropped from the ministry by William McMahon,^[1] and the disillusionment this caused led him to retire at the 1972 election. After leaving politics he became one of the leading figures at the Sydney bar, and was president of the New South Wales Bar Association between 1973 and 1975. He was formerly engaged in full-time practice as a member of Sydney's Blackstone Chambers, and is the most senior member of the NSW Bar.^[3]

He is the brother of the late writer and critic Robert Hughes. He has three children, Lucy Turnbull (former Lord Mayor of Sydney, and spouse of Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull), Michael Hughes (prominent Sydney stockbroker) and Tom Hughes, Jr. (barrister).^[1]

Honours

	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	1988 for services to the legal profession[4]
	1939–45 Star
	France and Germany Star
	War Medal 1939–1945
	Australia Service Medal 1939–45
	Centenary Medal	2001 [5]
	Chevalier of the Legion of Honour	(France) 2005[2]

He was also the subject of a painting by Jiawei Shen that was a finalist for the 2004 Archibald Prize.

References