Bertram Stevens (politician)

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Sir
name = Bertram Stevens
honorific-suffix = KCMG

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imagesize =
small

caption = Sir Bertram Stevens (centre, seated) with members of his cabinet
order = 25th
office = Premier of New South Wales
term_start = May 16, 1932
term_end = August 5, 1939
deputy = Michael Bruxner
predecessor = Jack Lang
successor = Alexander Mair
constituency = Croydon
majority =
birth_date = birth date|1889|1|2
birth_place = Redfern, New South Wales, Australia
death_date = death date and age|1973|3|23|1889|1|2
death_place = Concord, New South Wales, Australia
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
birthname = Bertram Sydney Barnsdale Stevens
nationality = Australian
party = United Australia Party
spouse = Edith Lillie Anderson

Sir Bertram Sydney Barnsdale Stevens, KCMG (2 January 1889 – 24 March 1973) was the UAP Premier of New South Wales from 16 May 1932 to 5 August 1939.

Early life

Stevens was born in the Sydney suburb of Redfern and attended Fort Street High School. An accountant by training, the teetotal Methodist Stevens worked for years in local government and various civil service departments. In 1914, he married Edith Lillie Anderson and they had one son and two daughters. In 1924, he became under-secretary and director of finance at the State Treasury, where he came into conflict with the Labor Premier and Treasurer, Jack Lang and subsequently resigned. In 1927, he became an alderman on Marrickville Council.cite web
first=John M.
last=Ward
title =Stevens, Sir Bertram Sydney Barnsdale (1889 - 1973)
publisher =Australian National University
work=Australian Dictionary of Biography
url =http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120089b.htm
accessdate = 2007-04-25]

Political career

In 1927 he entered the Legislative Assembly, as member for the Sydney suburban electoral district of Croydon. During the Nationalist Party Premiership of Sir Thomas Bavin, Stevens served first as Assistant Treasurer, and from 1929 as Treasurer.cite web
title =Sir Bertram Sydney Barnsdale Stevens (1889 - 1973)
work =Members of Parliament
publisher =Parliament of New South Wales
url =http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1fb6ebed995667c2ca256ea100825164/b2fc681db17883f7ca256cb7007af4b5!OpenDocument
accessdate = 2007-04-25] Not long after the Great Depression ended Bavin's administration in 1930, Stevens became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. In 1932 the Nationalist Party was absorbed into the United Australia Party, and Stevens became that party's state parliamentary leader. In May 1932 the Governor Game dismissed the Lang government, which was in dispute with Australia's federal government of James Scullin, and appointed Stevens as Premier. Stevens immediately called a new state election which his party won in a landslide. His major reform was the replacement of the appointed Legislative Council, by a Council elected by the whole parliament to terms equivalent to four Assembly terms, that is up to 12 years; this was passed by referendum in 1933. He reduced the protections for mortgagors and tenants that had been introduced by Lang. The UAP won again in 1935 and 1938. For most of Stevens's seven-year Premiership, one of the longest in New South Wales history — it continued until the eve of World War II — he was his own Treasurer.

Stevens had been in conflict with the deputy leader of the UAP, Eric Spooner since 1936 for not running a balanced budget and, Spooner resigned from cabinet in July 1939 and on 1 August, moved a no confidence motion against him, succeeding by two votes. Stevens resigned and Alexander Mair took over as Premier. Stevens was interested in entering federal parliament, and despite Robert Menzies's discouragement, resigned his Assembly seat and ran for the Labor-dominated seat of Lang in 1940, but was beaten.

Later life

In 1941 and 1942, was the Australian representative to the Eastern Group Supply Council in New Delhi. After the war, Stevens was president of the India League of Australia, and wrote prolifically upon Indian politics; but he never again held elective office. He died in the Sydney suburb of Concord West, poor and almost forgotten, survived by a son and two daughters.

Honours

Stevens was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1941.

References

Persondata
NAME=Stevens, Bertram Sydney Barnsdale
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician and Premier of New South Wales
DATE OF BIRTH=2 January 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH=Redfern, New South Wales
DATE OF DEATH=24 March 1973
PLACE OF DEATH=Concord West, New South Wales