Sir Robert Cotton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister for Industry and Commerce | |
| In office 11 November 1975 – 20 December 1977 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Fraser |
| Preceded by | Lionel Bowen (Manufacturing Industry) |
| Succeeded by | Phillip Lynch |
| Minister for Science and Consumer Affairs | |
| In office 11 November 1975 – 22 December 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Fraser |
| Preceded by | Clyde Cameron |
| Succeeded by | James Webster (Science) |
| Minister for Civil Aviation | |
| In office 12 November 1969 – 2 December 1972 | |
| Prime Minister | John Gorton William McMahon |
| Preceded by | Reg Swartz |
| Succeeded by | Charles Jones |
| Senator forNew South Wales | |
| In office 4 August 1965 – 13 July 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Sir William Spooner |
| Succeeded by | Chris Puplick |
| 16th Ambassador of Australia to the United States | |
| In office 16 August 1982 – 1 June 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey J. Price (Chargé d'affaires) |
| Succeeded by | Rawdon Dalrymple |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1915-11-29)29 November 1915 Broken Hill,New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 25 December 2006(2006-12-25) (aged 91) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Party | Liberal |
| Occupation | Businessman, pastoralist |
Sir Robert Carrington Cotton,KCMG, AO (29 November 1915 – 25 December 2006) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of theLiberal Party and served as aSenator forNew South Wales from 1966 to 1978. He held ministerial office asMinister for Civil Aviation (1969–1972),Science and Consumer Affairs (1975), andIndustry and Commerce (1975–1977). He later served as Consul-General in New York (1978–1982) andAmbassador to the United States (1982–1985).
Cotton was born inBroken Hill,New South Wales in 1915. He was educated atSt Peter's College, Adelaide and trained as aRoyal Australian Air Force pilot in 1942 and 1943, but did not participate in action in World War II as he was seconded to the Department of Supply. Instead Cotton established the timber industry inOberon, New South Wales as a wartime priority.[1]
After the war Cotton became a businessman andpastoralist in Oberon. In 1949 and 1950 he was President ofOberon Shire Council.
Cotton was a member of theLiberal Party of Australia from its foundation, and in the1949 federal election he ran unsuccessfully for the seat ofMacquarie against the sittingAustralian Labor Party member, Prime MinisterBen Chifley.He again lost to Chifley, now Leader of the Opposition, in 1951.[2]
From 1957 to 1960 he was New South Wales State President of the Liberal Party.[2]
Cotton was appointed to theSenate to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation ofSir William Spooner in August 1965.[3] TheAustralian Constitution dictated that aspecial Senate election had to be held at the same time as the lower house1966 election, but Cotton was re-elected. He was re-elected in1967,1974 and1975.[2] He wasMinister for Civil Aviation from 1969 to 1972, responsible for theDepartment of Civil Aviation.[2] During Cotton's term as Minister, the Department introduced security legislations to exclude non-passengers from international airport departure terminals.[4] Cotton wasMinister for Industry and Commerce from 1975 to 1977.[5]
Cotton retired from Parliament in 1978. He was Australian Consul-General in New York from 1978 to 1981. He was a director of theReserve Bank of Australia in 1981 and 1982 and was theAustralian Ambassador to the United States from 1982 to 1985, and from 1991 to 1994 he was Chairman of theAustralian National Gallery Foundation.[6]
He died on Christmas Day 2006 inSydney aged 91 after a long illness. He was survived by his second wife, two daughters and a son, three stepchildren, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and a sister.[7]
Cotton was knighted (KCMG) in 1978 and was made an Officer of theOrder of Australia (AO) in 1993.[6] He received aDoctorate of Science from theUniversity of Sydney in 1995.[8]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister for Civil Aviation 1969–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Science andConsumer Affairs 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Industry and Commerce 1975–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Australian Consul General in New York 1978–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Australian Ambassador to the United States 1982–1985 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
| Other | |
