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{{Short description|Prime Minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]] Sir
| name                = John Gorton
| honorific-suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|GCMG|AC|CH}}
| image               = JohnGorton1968.jpg
| image_size          =
| caption             = Official portrait, 1968
| alt                 = Portrait of John Gorton in January 1968
| order               = 19th
| office              = Prime Minister of Australia
| monarch             = [[Elizabeth II]]
| governor_general    = {{unbulleted list|[[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Lord Casey]]|[[Paul Hasluck|Sir Paul Hasluck]]}}
| deputy              = {{unbulleted list|John McEwen|[[Doug Anthony]]}}
| term_start          = 10 January 1968
| term_end            = 10 March 1971
| predecessor         = [[John McEwen]]
| successor           = [[William McMahon]]
| office1             = 3rd [[Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia|Leader of the Liberal Party]]
| deputy1             = William McMahon
| term_start1         = [[1968 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|9 January 1968]]
| term_end1           = 10 March 1971
| predecessor1        = [[Harold Holt]] (1967)
| successor1          = William McMahon
| office2             = [[Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia#Federal deputy leaders|Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party]]
| leader2             = William McMahon
| term_start2         = [[1971 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill#Results|10 March 1971]]
| term_end2           = 18 August 1971
| predecessor2        = William McMahon
| successor2          = [[Billy Snedden]]
| office3             = [[Leader of the Government in the Senate (Australia)|Leader of the Government in the Senate]]
| primeminister3      = {{unbulleted list|Harold Holt|John McEwen|''Himself''}}
| term_start3         = 16 October 1967
| term_end3           = 1 February 1968
| predecessor3        = [[Denham Henty]]
| successor3          = [[Ken Anderson (politician)|Ken Anderson]]{{cisb|Cabinet Positions|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}}
| office4             = [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]]
| primeminister4      = William McMahon
| term_start4         = 19 March 1971
| term_end4           = 13 August 1971
| predecessor4        = [[Malcolm Fraser]]
| successor4          = [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]]
| office5             = [[Minister for Education and Training|Minister for Education and Science]]
| primeminister5      = {{unbulleted list|[[Robert Menzies]]|Harold Holt|John McEwen|''Himself''}}
| term_start5         = 16 February 1962
| term_end5           = 28 February 1968
| predecessor5        = ''Office established''
| successor5          = Malcolm Fraser
| office6             = [[Minister for Social Services (Australia)#List of works ministers|Minister for Works]]
| primeminister6      = {{unbulleted list|Robert Menzies|Harold Holt}}
| term_start6         = 18 December 1963
| term_end6           = 28 February 1967
| predecessor6        = [[Gordon Freeth]]
| successor6          = [[Bert Kelly]]
| office7             = [[Minister for Interior (Australia)|Minister for the Interior]]
| primeminister7      = Robert Menzies
| term_start7         = 18 December 1963
| term_end7           = 4 March 1964
| predecessor7        = Gordon Freeth
| successor7          = [[Doug Anthony]]
| office8             = [[Minister for Defence (Australia)#Ministers for the Navy|Minister for the Navy]]
| primeminister8      = Robert Menzies
| term_start8         = 10 December 1958
| term_end8           = 18 December 1963
| predecessor8        = [[Charles Davidson (politician)|Charles Davidson]]
| successor8          = [[Jim Forbes (Australian politician)|Jim Forbes]]{{cise}}
| constituency_MP9    = [[Division of Higgins|Higgins]]
| parliament9         = Australian
| term_start9         = [[1968 Higgins by-election|24 February 1968]]
| term_end9           = [[1975 Australian federal election|11 November 1975]]
| predecessor9        = Harold Holt
| successor9          = [[Roger Shipton]]
| office10            = [[Australian Senate|Senator for]] [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]
| term_start10        = 22 February 1950
| term_end10          = 1 February 1968
| predecessor10       =
| successor10         = [[Ivor Greenwood]]
| birth_name          = John Grey Gorton
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=y|1911|9|9}}
| birth_place         = uncertain – [[Wellington]], New Zealand, ''or'' [[Prahran]], Victoria, Australia
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=y|2002|5|19|1911|9|9}}
| death_place         = [[St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney|St Vincent's Hospital]], Sydney, Australia
| resting_place       = [[Melbourne General Cemetery]]
| party               = [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] (1949–1975, 1999–2002)
| otherparty          = {{unbulleted list|[[National Party of Australia|Country]] (until 1949)|[[Independent (politician)|Independent]] (1975–1999)}}
| education           = {{unbulleted list|[[Sydney Church of England Grammar School]]|[[Geelong Grammar School]]}}
| alma_mater          = [[Brasenose College, Oxford]]
| spouse              = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Bettina Gorton|Bettina Brown]]<br />|1935|1983|reason=died}}
* {{marriage|Nancy Home<br />|1993}}
}}
| children            = 3
| signature           = John Gorton signature.svg
| allegiance          = {{flagdeco|Australia}} Australia
| branch              = {{air force|Australia}}
| serviceyears        = 1940–1944
| rank                = [[Flight Lieutenant]]
| unit                = {{plainlist|
*No. 61 Operational Training Unit RAF
*[[No. 232 Squadron RAF]]
*[[No. 77 Squadron RAAF]]
*[[No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF]]
}}
| battles             = [[World War II]]
}}
'''Sir John Grey Gorton''' (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician, farmer and airman who served as the 19th [[prime minister of Australia]] from 1968 to 1971. He held office as the leader of the [[leader of the Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party of Australia]], having previously served as a [[Australian Senate|senator for Victoria]]. He was the first and only member of the [[upper house]] of the [[Parliament of Australia|Parliament]] to assume the office of prime minister.

Gorton was born out of wedlock and had a turbulent childhood. He studied at [[Brasenose College, Oxford]], after finishing his secondary education at [[Geelong Grammar School]], and then returned to Australia to take over his father's property in northern [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]. Gorton enlisted in the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] in 1940, and was a fighter pilot in [[Malayan Campaign|Malaya]] and [[New Guinea Campaign|New Guinea]] during the Second World War. He suffered severe facial injuries in a crash landing on [[Bintan Island]] in 1942, and whilst being evacuated, his ship was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine.

Gorton returned to farming after being discharged in 1944, and was elected to the [[Shire of Kerang|Kerang Shire Council]] in 1946; he later served a term as shire president. After a previous unsuccessful candidacy at state level, Gorton was elected to the [[Australian Senate|Senate]] at the [[1949 Australian federal election|1949 federal election]].

Gorton took a keen interest in foreign policy, and gained a reputation as a strident [[anti-Communist]]. Gorton was promoted to the ministry in 1958, and over the following decade held a variety of different portfolios in the governments of [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]] and [[Harold Holt]]. He was responsible at various times for the [[Royal Australian Navy]], public works, education, and science. He was elevated to the Cabinet in 1966, and the following year, he was promoted to [[Leader of the Government in the Senate (Australia)|Leader of the Government in the Senate]].

Gorton [[1968 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|defeated]] three other candidates for the Liberal leadership after [[Disappearance of Harold Holt|Harold Holt's disappearance]] on 17 December 1967. He became the first and only senator to assume the office of Prime Minister, but soon transferred to the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in line with constitutional convention.

[[Gorton government|His government]] continued [[Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War|Australian involvement]] in the [[Vietnam War]], but began withdrawing troops amid growing public discontent. His government notably encouraged and fostered the re-establishment of the [[Australian film industry]]. Gorton retained office at the [[1969 Australian federal election|1969 federal election]] in the Coalition's 20th year in office, albeit with a severely reduced majority. After alienating his party's right wing and following the resignation of [[Malcolm Fraser]] from his ministry, Gorton resigned as Liberal leader in March 1971 after a [[confidence motion]] in his leadership was tied, and was replaced by [[William McMahon|Billy McMahon]]. After losing the prime ministership, Gorton was elected deputy leader under McMahon and appointed [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]]; he was sacked for disloyalty after a few months.

After the Coalition's defeat at the [[1972 Australian federal election|1972 federal election]], Gorton [[1972 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|unsuccessfully stood]] as McMahon's replacement. He briefly was an opposition [[frontbencher]] under [[Billy Snedden]], but stood down in 1974 and spent the rest of his career as a [[backbencher]]. Notably, during this period Gorton moved the motion which [[LGBTQ rights in Australia#Decriminalisation of homosexuality|decriminalised homosexuality]] federally and in the territories.<ref name=":1" /> Gorton resigned from the Liberal Party when Fraser was elected leader and he denounced the [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|dismissal]] of the [[Whitlam government]]; at the [[1975 Australian federal election|1975 election]] he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the Senate as an [[Independent politician|Independent]] in the ACT and advocated for a Labor win. He later spent several years as a political commentator, retiring from public life in 1981.

Gorton's domestic policies, which emphasised [[centralisation]] and [[economic nationalism]], were often controversial in his own party, and his individualistic style alienated many of his Cabinet members. His political views widely varied and were incongruous, although he is generally regarded as having shifted further to the left over time after starting his parliamentary career on his party's hard right. Conservatively, he opposed [[Indigenous land rights in Australia|Indigenous land rights]], was opposed to an [[Republicanism in Australia|Australian Republic]], was and at times fervently supported Australia [[List of states with nuclear weapons|developing nuclear weapons]],{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=69}} but progressively, he staunchly supported drug decriminalisation, [[LGBT rights in Australia|LGBT equality]] and [[reproductive rights]]. Evaluations of his prime ministership have been mixed; although he is generally ranked higher than either Holt or McMahon, Gorton is usually considered to have been a transitional prime minister who ultimately fell short of his potential for greatness.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=397-403}}

==Early life==
===Birth and family background===
[[File:JohnGorton1913.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Gorton as a toddler in 1913]]

[[File:NlaGortonmotherAlice1915.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Gorton as a child and his mother Alice in 1915]]

John Grey Gorton was the second child of Alice Sinn and John Rose Gorton; his older sister Ruth was born in 1909. He had no birth certificate, but official forms recorded his date of birth as 9 September 1911 and his place of birth as [[Wellington]], New Zealand. His birth was registered in the state of [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] as occurring on that date, but in the inner [[Melbourne]] suburb of [[Prahran]]. However, that document contained a number of inaccuracies – his name was given as "John Alga Gordon", his parents were recorded as husband and wife, his father's name was incorrect, and his sister was recorded as deceased.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ian Hancock|title=John Gorton: He Did It His Way|publisher=Hodder|year=2002|page=1|isbn=0733614396}}</ref> At some point before 1932, Gorton's father told him that he had actually been born in Wellington.<ref name=":2" /> There are no records of his birth in New Zealand, but his parents are known to have travelled there on several occasions.<ref name=p2>Hancock (2002), p. 2.</ref> John Gorton apparently believed he was born in Wellington, listing the city as his place of birth on his RAAF enlistment papers, and claiming so to a biographer in 1968.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=John Gorton: before office |url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gorton/before-office.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426042707/https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/john-gorton/before-office |archive-date=26 April 2023 |access-date=20 January 2024 |website=National Archives of Australia}}</ref> If he were so, it would make him the only Australian Prime Minister born in New Zealand (and the second to have been originally a New Zealander, after [[Chris Watson]]).

If John Gorton was indeed born in New Zealand, this would have made him a New Zealand citizen from 1 January 1949 under changes to [[New Zealand nationality law]]. Holding dual-citizenship would have rendered Gorton ineligible to sit in Australia's federal parliament under [[Section 44 of the Australian Constitution]]. Gorton's eligibility to have sat in parliament throughout his career is therefore unclear.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20210303105749/https://williamsummers.blog/2017/08/07/section-44-twist-former-aussie-pm-was-probably-ineligible-for-parliament-due-to-multiple-citizenship/ Section 44 twist: Former Aussie PM was probably ineligible due to multiple citizenship]}}, William Summers (blog). Retrieved 6 November 2019.</ref>

Gorton's father was born to a middle-class family in [[Manchester]], [[England]], UK. As a young man he moved to [[Johannesburg]], South Africa, where he went into business as a merchant – during the [[Second Boer War|Boer War]], he developed a reputation as a [[War profiteering|war profiteer]]. He reputedly escaped the [[Siege of Ladysmith]] by sneaking through Boer lines, and then made his way to Australia.<ref name=p3>Hancock (2002), p. 3.</ref> He was involved in various business schemes in multiple states, and was to said to have "lived on the brink of a fortune which never quite materialised".<ref name=p4>Hancock (2002), p. 4.</ref> One of his business partners was the inventor [[George Julius]].<ref name=p3/> At some point, Gorton's father separated from his first wife, Kathleen O'Brien, and began living with Alice Sinn – born in Melbourne to a German father and an Irish mother.<ref name=p2/> However, Kathleen refused to grant him a divorce. Some official documents record Gorton's parents as having married in New Zealand at some point, but there are no records of this occurring; any such marriage would have been bigamous. Gorton never denied his illegitimacy as an adult, but it did not become generally known until a biography was published during his prime ministership.<ref name=p4/>

===Childhood and adolescence===
[[File:John Gorton (seated left), teacher and other senior students, Geelong Grammar, ca 1930.jpg|thumb|left|Gorton (seated, left) with other senior students and a teacher at Geelong Grammar School, about 1930]]
Gorton spent his early years living with his maternal grandparents in [[Port Melbourne]], as his parents were frequently away on business trips. When he was about four years old, his parents took him to live with them in Sydney, where they had an apartment at [[Edgecliff, New South Wales|Edgecliff]]. Gorton began his education at Edgecliff Preparatory School.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 5.</ref> When he was eight years old, his mother contracted tuberculosis and was sent to a [[sanatorium]] to avoid passing on the disease. She died in September 1920, aged 32. Gorton's grieving father sent his son to live with his estranged wife Kathleen. There, he met his sister Ruth for the first time; he had previously been told that she was dead. Although she was his full sibling, she had been raised by Kathleen since birth, and rarely saw her biological parents. Gorton initially lived with Kathleen and Ruth at their home in [[Cronulla, New South Wales|Cronulla]]. They later moved into a larger house in [[Killara]], in the north of Sydney.<ref name=hp8>Hancock (2002), p. 8.</ref>

While living in Killara, Gorton began attending Headfort College, a short-lived private school run by a former Anglican minister.<ref name=hp8/> In 1924, he began boarding at [[Sydney Church of England Grammar School]] (Shore), initially on a weekly basis but later on a full-time one.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 9.</ref> He did not excel academically, failing the [[Intermediate Certificate (Australia)|Intermediate Certificate]] on his first attempt, but was a well-liked boy and good at sports.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 10.</ref> Gorton began spending his holidays with his father, who had purchased a property in [[Mystic Park, Victoria]], and planted a citrus orchard.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 11.</ref> He left Shore at the end of 1926, and the following year began boarding at [[Geelong Grammar School]], which he would attend for four years from 1927 to 1930.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 12.</ref> He represented the school in athletics, [[Australian rules football|football]], and rowing, and in his final year was a school prefect and house captain.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 15.</ref>

===University===
After leaving Geelong Grammar, Gorton spent a year working on his father's property in Mystic Park. His father then took out a second mortgage to allow him to travel to England and attend [[Oxford University]]. Gorton arrived in England in early 1932, and after a period at a "cramming school" passed the exam to enter [[Brasenose College, Oxford|Brasenose College]]. He also took flying lessons around the same time, and was awarded a pilot's licence in June 1932. Gorton began his degree in October 1932 and finished in June 1935 with an "[[Upper-second class|upper second]]" in history, politics and economics. He was initially something of an outsider, with relatively little money and no social connections. However, his prowess in rowing – he won the O.U.B.C. Fours in his first year, and was Captain of the [[Brasenose College Boat Club]] – saw him elected to [[Vincent's Club]] and [[Leander Club]]. In 1934, while on holiday in [[Second Spanish Republic|Spain]], he met his future wife [[Bettina Gorton|Bettina Brown]], the younger sister of one of his College friends. They married in early 1935.<ref name=bdas>{{cite Au Senate |Sen id=gorton-john-grey |title=GORTON, Sir John Grey (1911–2002) |first=Geoffrey |last=Browne |access-date=22 December 2022}}</ref>

===Return to Australia===
After his graduation, Gorton and his wife returned to Australia via the [[United States]], spending some time with her family in [[Maine]]. He had expected to take up a position at [[The Herald and Weekly Times]], [[Keith Murdoch]]'s newspaper group. However, he arrived in Melbourne to find his father in failing health. His father subsequently required hospitalisation and died in August 1936. Gorton had taken over the management of the orchard as soon as his father entered hospital. He inherited an overdraft of £5,000, which took several years to pay off. However, the property – located on the western side of [[North Victorian Wetlands|Kangaroo Lake]] – was in good condition, requiring only minor improvements. He employed up to ten seasonal workers during picking season. Mystic Park remained his primary residence until he was appointed to the ministry, at which point he and his family moved to Canberra.<ref name=bdas/>

==Military service==

===1940–1942===
[[File:JohnGorton1941.jpg|thumb|upright|Gorton prior to leaving for war service in 1941]]

On 31 May 1940, following the outbreak of World War II, Gorton enlisted in the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] Reserve.<ref>Hancock: 30</ref> At the age of 29, Gorton was considered too old for pilot training, but he re-applied in September after this rule was relaxed. Gorton was accepted and commissioned into the RAAF on 8 November 1940.<ref>Hancock: 31</ref> He trained as a fighter pilot at [[Somers, Victoria]] and [[Wagga Wagga]], [[New South Wales]], before being sent to the UK. Gorton completed his training at [[RAF Heston]] and [[RAF Honiley]],<ref name="Trengrove: 71">Trengrove: 71</ref> with [[No. 61 Operational Training Unit RAF]], flying [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s.<ref name="Hancock: 33">Hancock: 33</ref> He was disappointed when his first operational posting was [[No. 135 Squadron RAF]], a [[Hawker Hurricane]] unit, as he considered the type greatly inferior to Spitfires.<ref name="Trengrove: 71"/>

During late 1941, Gorton and other members of his squadron became part of the [[En cadre|cadre]] of a Hurricane [[wing (air force unit)|wing]] being formed for service in the Middle East. They were sent by sea, with 50 Hurricanes in crates, travelling around Africa to reduce the risk of attack. In December, when the ship was at [[Durban]], South Africa, it was diverted to Singapore, after [[Pacific War|Japan entered the war]].<ref>Trengrove: 72</ref> As it approached its destination in mid-January, [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] forces were [[Battle of Malaya|advancing down the Malayan Peninsula]]. The ship was attacked on at least one occasion by Japanese aircraft, but arrived and unloaded safely after tropical storms made enemy air raids impossible.<ref>Trengrove: 73–74</ref> As the Hurricanes were assembled, the pilots were formed into a composite operational squadron, [[No. 232 Squadron RAF]].

In late January 1942, the squadron became operational and joined the remnants of several others that had been in Malaya, operating out of [[Seletar Airport|RAF Seletar]] and RAF [[Kallang]].<ref>Trengrove: 75</ref> During one of his first [[sortie]]s, Gorton was involved in a brief dogfight over the [[South China Sea]], after which he suffered engine failure and was forced to land on [[Bintan]] island,<ref name="Hancock: 33"/> 40&nbsp;km (25&nbsp;mi) south east of Singapore. As he landed, one of the Hurricane's wheels hit an embankment and flipped over. Gorton was not properly strapped in and his face hit the gun sight and windscreen, mutilating his nose and breaking both cheekbones.<ref name="Trengrove: 76">Trengrove: 76</ref> He also suffered severe lacerations to both arms. He made his way out of the wreck and was rescued by members of the [[Royal Dutch East Indies Army]], who provided some medical treatment. Gorton later claimed that his face was so badly cut and bruised, that a member of the RAF sent to collect him assumed he was near death, collected his personal effects and returned to Singapore without him.<ref name="Trengrove: 76"/> By chance, one week later, Sgt Matt O'Mara of [[No. 453 Squadron RAAF]] also crash landed on Bintan, and arranged for them to be collected.<ref name="Trengrove: 77">Trengrove: 77</ref>

They arrived back in Singapore, on 11 February, three days after [[battle of Singapore|the island had been invaded]].<ref name="Trengrove: 77"/> As the Allied air force units on Singapore had been destroyed or evacuated by this stage, Gorton was put on the ''Derrymore'', an ammunition ship bound for [[Jakarta|Batavia]] (Jakarta). On 13 February, as it neared its destination, the ship was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-55 [[Kaidai class submarine]] and the ''Derrymore'' was abandoned. Gorton then spent almost a day on a crowded liferaft, in shark-infested waters, with little drinking water, until the raft was spotted by [[HMAS Ballarat (J184)|HMAS ''Ballarat'']], which picked up the passengers and took them to Batavia.<ref>Trengrove: 80</ref>

[[File:77_Sqn_RAAF_pilots_%26_Kittyhawk_(AWM_NWA0019).JPG|thumb|left|Pilots of B Flight, No. 77 Squadron with a P-40 Kittyhawk in the Northern Territory, January 1943. Gorton is fourth left in the back row.]]

Two schoolfriends, who had also been evacuated from Singapore to Batavia, heard that Gorton was in hospital, arranged for them to be put on a ship for [[Fremantle]], which left on 23 February and treated Gorton's wounds.<ref>Trengrove: 81</ref> When the ship arrived in Fremantle, on 3 March, one of Gorton's arm wounds had become septic and needed extensive treatment. However, he was more concerned about the effect that the sight of his mutilated face would have on his wife. It is reported that Betty Gorton, who had been running the farm in his absence, was relieved to see Gorton alive.<ref name="Hancock: 33"/><ref>Trengrove: 82</ref>

===1942–1944===

After arriving in Australia he was posted to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] on 12 August 1942 with [[No. 77 Squadron RAAF]] (Kittyhawks). During this time he was involved in his second air accident. While flying [[P-40E]] A29-60 on 7 September 1942, he was forced to land due to an incorrectly set fuel cock. Both Gorton and his aircraft were recovered several days later after spending time in the bush. On 21 February 1943 the squadron was relocated to [[Milne Bay]], [[New Guinea]].<ref name=":2" />

Gorton's final air incident came on 18 March 1943. His A29-192 Kittyhawk's engine failed on takeoff, causing the aircraft to flip at the end of the strip. Gorton was unhurt. In March 1944, Gorton was sent back to Australia with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. His final posting was as a Flying Instructor with [[No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF|No. 2 Operational Training Unit]] at [[Mildura]], Victoria. He was then discharged from the RAAF on 5 December 1944.<ref name=":2" />

During late 1944 Gorton went to [[Austin Hospital, Melbourne|Heidelberg Hospital]] for surgery which could not fully repair his facial injuries; he was left permanently disfigured.<ref name=":2" />

==Early political involvement==
After resuming his life in Mystic Park, Gorton was elected unopposed to the [[Shire of Kerang|Kerang Shire Council]] in September 1946. He remained on the council until 1952, overlapping with his first term in the Senate, and from 1949 to 1950 was shire president.<ref name=p46>Hancock (2002), p. 46.</ref> Although he had little previous experience, Gorton began to develop a reputation as a powerful public speaker. His first major speech, in April 1946, was an address to a welcome-home gathering for returned soldiers at the Mystic Park Hall. In what [[John Brogden (politician)|John Brogden]] has described as "Australia's best unknown political speech",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/when-heartfelt-oratory-gave-us-a-political-vision-to-believe-in/news-story/f6e976b88facb7aef45be610e8025547|title=When heartfelt oratory gave us a political vision to believe in|author=[[John Brogden (politician)|John Brogden]]|date=1 July 2016|access-date=21 September 2018|work=[[The Australian]]}}</ref> he exhorted his audience to honour those who had died in the war and saying "we must do our most to alleviate the immediate suffering, and we must take our place in the world, not as a self-sufficient, sealed-off unit, but as a member of a family, the members of which are dependent the one upon the other".

{{Blockquote|I want you to forget it is I who am standing here. And I want you to see instead Bob Davey. And behind him I want you to see an army; regiment on regiment of young men, dead. They say to you, burning in tanks and aeroplanes, drowning in submarines, shattered and broken by high explosive shells, we gave the last full measure of devotion. We bought your freedom with our lives. So take this freedom. Guard it as we have guarded it, use it as we can no longer use it, and with it as a foundation, build. Build a world in which meanness and poverty, tyranny and hate, have no existence. If you see and hear these men behind me – do not fail them.|author=John Grey Gorton|source=3 April 1946, Mystic Park, Victoria}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@simoncast/speech-by-sir-john-gorton-at-mystic-park-hall-3-april-1946-dec52349292f|title= Speech By Sir John Gorton at Mystic Park Hall, 3 April 1946|date= 24 April 2022}}</ref>

Gorton's next major speech was made in September 1947, at a rally against the [[Chifley government]]'s attempt to nationalise private banks. He told the crowd in [[Kerang]] that they should oppose the establishment of banks run by politicians, and objected in particular to the government's decision not to take the issue to a referendum.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 49.</ref> According to his biographer Ian Hancock, "the bank nationalisation issue marked his advance beyond purely local politics and stamped him firmly and publicly as an anti-socialist".<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 51.</ref>

Gorton had been a supporter of the [[Country Party (Victoria)|Country Party]] before the war, along with most of his neighbours. Over time, he became frustrated with the party's frequent squabbles with the [[Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division)|Liberal Party]] and its willingness to cooperate with the [[Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch)|Labor Party]].<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 52.</ref> After the Victorian Country Party withdrew from [[Coalition (Australia)|its coalition]] with the Liberals in December 1948, Gorton became involved in efforts to form a new anti-socialist movement that would absorb both parties. At some point he was introduced to [[Magnus Cormack]], the state president of the Liberals, who became something of a mentor.<ref name=p53>Hancock (2002), pp. 53–54.</ref> In March 1949, Gorton was elected to the state executive of the new organisation, which named itself the [[Liberal and Country Party]] (LCP).<ref name=p55>Hancock (2002), p. 55.</ref> On a number of occasions he addressed Country Party gatherings, urging its members to join the new party and stressing that it would not neglect rural interests, as many feared.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 56.</ref> However, the LCP did not achieve its goal of uniting the anti-Labor forces, as most Country Party members viewed it as simply a takeover attempt; the new party affiliated with the federal [[Liberal Party of Australia]].<ref name=p53/>

In June 1949, Gorton stood for the [[Victorian Legislative Council]] as the LCP candidate in [[Northern Province (Victoria)|Northern Province]]. It was a safe Country Party seat, and at the preceding three elections no other parties had bothered to field a candidate.<ref name=p55/> Making right-wing unity the focal point of his campaign, Gorton polled 48.8 percent of the vote to finish less than 400 votes behind the sitting member, [[George Tuckett (politician)|George Tuckett]]. The result impressed the LCP's leadership,<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 57.</ref> and the following month he was [[preselection|preselected]] in third place on its joint [[Australian Senate|Senate]] ticket with the Country Party. He was relatively unknown within the party, and his rural background was a major factor in his selection.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 58.</ref> The Coalition won a large majority at the [[1949 Australian federal election|1949 federal election]], including four out of Victoria's seven senate vacancies. The LCP candidates joined the parliamentary Liberal Party.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 59.</ref>

==Senate (1950–1968)==
===Backbencher===
[[File:JohnGorton1954.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Gorton in 1954]]

Gorton's term in the Senate began on 22 February 1950.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=61}} He was re-elected to additional terms at the [[1951 Australian federal election|1951]], [[1953 Australian Senate election|1953]], [[1958 Australian federal election|1958]], and [[1964 Australian Senate election|1964 elections]], and from 1953 occupied first place on the Coalition's ticket in Victoria. Gorton's early speeches on domestic policy foreshadowed the stances and policy initiatives he would later adopt as prime minister, such as economic nationalism, support for a strong central government, and support for nuclear energy. One of his first notable actions in the Senate came in November 1951, when he successfully moved a motion opposing "any substantial measure of ownership or control over any Australian broadcasting station" being granted to non-Australians.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=73}} In his early speeches on foreign policy, Gorton drew analogies between the actions of the Soviet Union and Communist China and those of Nazi Germany.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=68}} He developed a reputation as a "hardline [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]]", speaking in favour of the Communist Party Dissolution Bill and campaigning for the "Yes" vote during the [[1951 Australian Communist Party ban referendum|1951 referendum]] to ban the [[Communist Party of Australia|Communist Party]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=64–66}} At a campaign rally in September 1951, he had to be restrained by police after attempting to drag a heckler from his seat and shouting at him to "come outside, you yellow rat".<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23077920|title=Women rush from hall|publisher=[[Melbourne Argus]]|date=5 September 1951 |access-date=22 December 2022 |via=Trove}}</ref>

From 1952 to 1958, Gorton served on the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, including as chairman for a period. He developed a keen interest in Asia, which was rooted in his anti-communism, and joined parliamentary delegations to Malaya, South Vietnam, [[Thailand]], and the [[Philippines]]. He strongly supported Australia joining the [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation]] (SEATO), a collective defence initiative designed to [[domino theory|prevent the spread of communism]] in the region. He also supported [[Taiwanese independence]] and opposed Australian recognition of the People's Republic of China (PRC).{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=67}} On a number of occasions, Gorton spoke of the need for Australia to develop a foreign policy independent of Britain and the United States.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=68}} In May 1957, he told the Senate that Australia should acquire its own nuclear deterrent, including intercontinental missiles.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=69}}

===Government minister===
====Navy portfolio====
[[File:Paul Hasluck, Shen Chang-huan, John Gorton.jpg|thumb|Gorton in 1965 with External Affairs Minister [[Paul Hasluck]] and Taiwanese foreign minister [[Shen Chang-huan]]]]

Gorton was elevated to the ministry after the [[1958 Australian federal election|1958 election]], as [[Minister for the Navy (Australia)|Minister for the Navy]]. This was a junior position subordinate to the Minister for Defence, [[Athol Townley]]. Although his promotion was unexpected,{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=81}} he would serve as Minister for the Navy for more than five years, the longest-serving navy minister in Australia's history.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=96}} Gorton regularly attended meetings of the [[Australian Commonwealth Naval Board|Naval Board]], unlike previous ministers, and championed its recommendations at cabinet meetings. He was able to secure most elements of the board's desired modernisation program, despite Townley showing more interest in the air force. During Gorton's tenure, the navy acquired four Australian-built frigates and six British-built minesweepers, as well as placing orders for three [[Charles F. Adams-class destroyer|''Charles F. Adams''-class destroyer]]s and four [[Oberon-class submarine|''Oberon''-class submarine]]s. He postponed the phasing out of the [[Fleet Air Arm (RAN)|Fleet Air Arm]], due to occur in 1963, and secured the purchase of 27 [[Westland Wessex]] helicopters.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=87–90}}

Gorton was a supporter and admirer of Robert Menzies, who was sympathetic to his ambitions for higher office and assigned him additional responsibilities. In 1959, he was tasked with securing the passage of the Matrimonial Causes Bill, which introduced uniform divorce laws; he described it as "a systematic attempt to make a new approach to the problem of divorce". The bill was opposed by religious conservatives (mostly Catholics) on both sides of politics, but it eventually passed the Senate with only a single amendment.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=85–86}} Gorton was appointed assistant minister to the [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)|Minister for External Affairs]] in February 1960, working under Menzies and later under [[Garfield Barwick]] and [[Paul Hasluck]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=84}} In February 1962, he was also made minister-in-charge of the [[CSIRO]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=96}} During [[question time]] in the Senate, he represented ministers from the House of Representatives, allowing him to gain experience in portfolios beyond his own.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=84}}{{efn|In Australia, ministers are drawn from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. To allow the Opposition to ask questions about all governmental actions in both houses, some ministers assume responsibility for portfolios held by ministers from the other chamber.}}

====Education and science portfolio====
[[File:John Gorton, Fred White, René Maheu.jpg|thumb|left|Gorton with CSIRO chairman [[Fred White (scientist)|Fred White]] and UNESCO Director-General [[René Maheu]] at a regional science organisation meeting in 1964]]

After the [[1963 Australian federal election|1963 election]], Gorton relinquished the navy portfolio and was placed in charge of the government's activities in education and scientific research.{{efn|His formal title was "Minister in charge of Commonwealth Activities in Education and Research under the Prime Minister".{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=103}}}} He was also made [[Department of Works (1952–73)|Minister for Works]] and [[Minister for Interior (Australia)|Minister for the Interior]], relatively low-profile positions dealing mostly with administrative matters; the latter post was taken over by [[Doug Anthony]] after a few months. Menzies had a personal interest in education, having previously handled the portfolio himself,{{efn|There was no separate education department at the time, with the portfolio instead handled by the Commonwealth Education Office within the [[Prime Minister's Department (Australia)|Prime Minister's Department]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=104}}}} and told Gorton that it should be his primary focus.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=103}} He was given oversight of the Australian Universities Commission, the [[Australian National University]], the [[National Archives of Australia|Commonwealth Archives Office]], the [[Commonwealth Literary Fund]], and the [[National Library of Australia]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=104}} In January 1966, Menzies retired and [[Harold Holt]] became prime minister. Gorton was elevated to [[Cabinet of Australia|cabinet]],{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=100}} and at the end of the year was given the title [[Minister for Education (Australia)|Minister for Education and Science]]. He was placed in charge of the new [[Department of Education and Science (Australia)|Department of Education and Science]], the first time those portfolios had been given a separate department at federal level.<ref>{{cite book|first=Tom|last=Frame| author-link=Tom Frame (bishop)|title=The Life and Death of Harold Holt|url=https://archive.org/details/lifedeathharoldh00fram|url-access=limited|publisher=Allen & Unwin|year=2005|isbn=1-74114-672-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/lifedeathharoldh00fram/page/n187 168]}}</ref>

[[File:JohnGorton.jpg|150px|thumb|upright|Official portrait, 1967]]

Gorton presided over a "major intrusion" of the federal government into the education sector.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|p=121}} His tenure saw significant increases in the number of university scholarships available, the number of new university entrants, and overall funding of education.{{efn|Between 1963 and 1966, the number of Commonwealth scholarships on offer rose from 4,701 to 8,069, an increase of 72 percent, while the number of new university entrants rose from 17,311 to 24,196, an increase of 40 percent. Total federal funding of education rose by 77 percent from the 1964–65 budget to the 1967–68 budget.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=121–122}}}} One of the first major issues Gorton confronted was that of state aid to non-government schools. He believed that private schools should have equal access to federal government funding, and in 1964 announced that the government would fund science laboratories for private schools.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=109–111}} This stance, supported by the [[Catholic education in Australia|Catholic education sector]] but opposed by secularists and most Protestant schools, eventually achieved widespread acceptance.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/CIB9697/97cib2|title=State Aid for Non-Government Schools: The emerging debate|first=Greg|last=McIntosh|year=1996|publisher=Australian Parliamentary Library}}</ref> In September 1965, Gorton created the Commonwealth Advisory Committee on Advanced Education, tasked with advising the government on non-university [[technical and further education]] (TAFE). He announced that the federal government would fund technical colleges on a pro-rata basis with the states,{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=111–112}} and personally oversaw the establishment of the Canberra College of Advanced Education, the forerunner of the [[University of Canberra]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=114–115}} As science minister, he lent his support to the [[Anglo-Australian Telescope]] project, securing cabinet approval for its construction in April 1967.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=120–121}}

====Role in the VIP aircraft affair====

Gorton's reputation was significantly enhanced by his role in the [[VIP aircraft affair]], a political controversy relating to the use of [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) [[Royal Australian Air Force VIP aircraft|VIP aircraft]] by the [[Holt government]] and its predecessor the [[Menzies government (1949–66)|Menzies government]] that came to a head in October 1967. Holt had provided vague and inaccurate answers to [[Question time|parliamentary questions]] about the VIP fleet, notably denying the existence of [[Manifest (transportation)|passenger manifests]] which might confirm instances of misuse.{{sfn|Hancock|2003|p=1}} Air Minister [[Peter Howson (politician)|Peter Howson]] became aware of the inaccuracies and sought to protect Holt, but their statements were soon subjected to further scrutiny, leading to accusations that they had conspired to [[Misleading parliament|mislead parliament]]. Gorton, who had just replaced [[Denham Henty]] as [[Leader of the Government in the Senate (Australia)|Leader of the Government in the Senate]] on 16 October, helped resolve the situation by [[Table (parliamentary procedure)|tabling]] the "missing" passenger manifests in their entirety on 25 October. He did so on the grounds that the government could not maintain such a cover-up.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=128}}

Gorton's act has been credited for helping thrust him into general public view; boosting his standing among his parliamentary colleagues; and for the first time Gorton began to be viewed as a serious future leadership contender, which proved to be critical to his election as Holt's successor [[1968 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|three months later]].{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=131-132}} However, although Gorton defended Howson in Parliament,{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=129}} the affair also sowed the seeds of long-term enmity between him and Howson, the latter turning into a staunch, vocal opponent of Gorton during his years as prime minister and beyond.{{sfn|Hancock|2002|pp=131-132}}

==Prime minister (1968–1971)==
{{See also|Gorton government}}

===First term (1968–1969)===
====Holt's disappearance====
{{See also|Liberal Party of Australia leadership election, 1968}}
[[File:John_Gorton_Swearing_In.jpg|thumb|left|Gorton being sworn in as Prime Minister on 10 January 1968]]

[[Disappearance of Harold Holt|Harold Holt disappeared while swimming]] on 17 December 1967 and was declared presumed drowned two days later. His presumed successor was Liberal deputy leader [[William McMahon]]. However, on 18 December, the Country Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister [[John McEwen]] announced that if McMahon were named the new Liberal leader, he and his party would not serve under him. His reasons were never stated publicly, but in a private meeting with McMahon, he said "I will not serve under you because I do not trust you".<ref>Gavin Souter, ''Acts of Parliament'', 1988, pp. 478–79</ref> McEwen's shock declaration triggered a leadership crisis within the Liberal Party; even more significantly, it raised the threat of a possible breaking of the Coalition, which would spell electoral disaster for the Liberals. Up to that time, the Liberals had never won enough seats in any House of Representatives election to be able to govern without Country Party support.

The Governor-General [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Lord Casey]] swore McEwen in as prime minister, on an interim basis pending the Liberal Party electing its new leader. McEwen agreed to accept an interim appointment provided there was no formal statement of time limit. This appointment was in keeping with previous occasions when a conservative Coalition government had been deprived of its leader.<ref>In 1939 when [[Joseph Lyons]] died suddenly, and in 1941 when [[Robert Menzies]] resigned, the Governor-General had commissioned the (unofficial) Deputy Prime Minister, who was the leader of the Country Party, to serve as Prime Minister until the major coalition partner—then the UAP—could choose its new leader.</ref> Casey also concurred in the view put to him by McEwen that to commission a Liberal temporarily as prime minister would give that person an unfair advantage in the forthcoming party room ballot for the permanent leader.

[[File:John_Gorton_1968_colour.jpg|thumb|Gorton in his office in 1968]]

In the subsequent [[1968 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|leadership struggle]], Gorton was championed by Army Minister [[Malcolm Fraser]], Government whip in the Senate [[Malcolm Scott (politician)|Malcolm Scott]] and Liberal Party Whip [[Dudley Erwin]], and with their support he was able to defeat rivals [[Paul Hasluck]], [[Les Bury]] and [[Billy Snedden]] to become Liberal leader even though he was a member of the Senate. He was elected party leader on 9 January 1968, and appointed prime minister on 10 January, replacing McEwen. He was the only senator in Australia's history to be prime minister and the only prime minister to have ever served in the Senate. He remained a senator until, in accordance with the [[Westminster system|Westminster]] tradition that the prime minister is a member of the lower house of parliament, he resigned on 1 February 1968 to [[1968 Higgins by-election|contest the by-election]] for Holt's old House of Representatives seat of [[Division of Higgins|Higgins]] in south Melbourne. The by-election in this comfortably safe Liberal seat was held on 24 February; there were three other candidates, but Gorton achieved a massive 68% of the formal vote. He visited all the polling places during the day, but was unable to vote for himself as he was still enrolled in [[Division of Mallee|Mallee]], in rural western Victoria.<ref>''the age(melbourne)magazine'', p. 16</ref> Between 2 and 23 February (both dates inclusive) he was a member of neither house of parliament.

Although he was still a senator when he was sworn in as prime minister, Gorton never sat in the Senate as prime minister because neither House of Parliament was in session between his swearing in as prime minister and his resignation from the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/Practice7/HTML/Chapter2/The_Ministry|title = The Ministry}}</ref>

====Activities in office====
[[File:John Gorton 1969.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Gorton at the [[Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station]] during the [[Apollo 11]] Moon landing in 1969]]

Gorton was initially a very popular Prime Minister. He carved out a style quite distinct from those of his predecessors – the aloof Menzies and the affable, sporty Holt. Gorton liked to portray himself as a man of the people who enjoyed a beer and a gamble, with a bit of a [[larrikinism|"larrikin"]] streak about him – hence one of his nicknames, "Gort the sport". Unfortunately for him, this reputation later came back to haunt him.

He also began to follow new policies, pursuing independent defence and foreign policies and distancing Australia from its traditional ties to Britain. But he continued to support Australia's involvement in the [[Vietnam War]], a position he had reluctantly inherited from Holt, which became increasingly unpopular after 1968. On domestic issues, he favoured centralist policies at the expense of the states, which alienated powerful Liberal state leaders like Sir [[Henry Bolte]] of Victoria and [[Robert Askin|Bob Askin]] of New South Wales. He also fostered an independent [[Australian film industry]] and increased government funding for the arts.

Gorton proved to be a surprisingly poor media performer and public speaker, and was portrayed by the media as a foolish and incompetent administrator. He was unlucky to come up against a new and formidable Labor Opposition Leader in [[Gough Whitlam]]. Also, he was subjected to media speculation about his drinking habits and his involvements with women. He generated great resentment within his party, and his opponents became increasingly critical of his reliance on an inner circle of advisers – most notably his private secretary [[Ainsley Gotto]].

The Coalition suffered a 7% swing against it at the [[1969 Australian federal election|1969 election]], and Labor outpolled it on the [[two-party-preferred vote]]. During the close election Gorton promised to waive all future government rent on residential leaseholders in Canberra.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hong|first1=Yu-Hung|title=Myths and Realities of Public Land Leasing: Canberra and Hong Kong|journal=Land Lines|date=March 1999|volume=11|issue=2|url=https://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/dl/361_linc_landlines%203.99.pdf|access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> After surviving the election Gorton came through on his promise, giving away an estimated $100&nbsp;million in equity to leaseholders and abandoning future government rent revenue.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fitzgerald|first1=Karl|title=Canberra's Leasehold Land System|url=http://www.prosper.org.au/2008/01/16/canberra/|website=Prosper Australia|date=15 January 2008|access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> Still, Gorton saw the sizeable 45-seat majority he had inherited from Holt cut down to only seven. Indeed, the Coalition might have lost government had it not been for the [[Democratic Labor Party (Australia, 1955)|Democratic Labor Party]]'s longstanding practice of preferencing against the ALP. The Coalition was only assured of a ninth term in government when DLP preferences tipped four marginal seats in Melbourne—the DLP's heartland—to the Liberals. Had those preferences gone the other way, Whitlam would have become prime minister.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/results/senate/vic.htm Analysis of 2007 election in Victoria] by [[Antony Green]]</ref>

===Second term (1969–1971)===
====Leadership challenges and resignation====
[[File:Gorton_and_McMahon.jpg|thumb|upright|Gorton with [[William McMahon]] shortly after the unsuccessful leadership challenge in 1969]]

After the 1969 election, Gorton [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1969|was unsuccessfully challenged for the Liberal leadership]] by McMahon and National Development Minister [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]]; although on this occasion McEwen decided to lift his veto on McMahon. In the subsequent [[Second Gorton Ministry|ministerial reshuffle]], Gorton reinstated [[Don Chipp]] and promoted [[Andrew Peacock]], [[Jim Killen]] and [[Tom Hughes (Australian politician)|Tom Hughes]] to the ministry, among others. The Coalition suffered a significant primary vote swing in the [[1970 Australian Senate election|1970 Senate-only election]], though seat losses were stemmed to just two and Labor was also judged to have performed poorly.

On 8 March 1971, a challenge was launched when Defence Minister [[Malcolm Fraser]] resigned from the ministry. Fraser had strongly supported Gorton for the leadership three years earlier, but now attacked Gorton on the floor of parliament in his resignation speech, accusing him of disloyalty in a dispute Fraser had with General [[Thomas Daly (general)|Sir Thomas Daly]] and of "interference in (his) ministerial responsibilities". Fraser concluded the speech by condemning Gorton as "not fit to hold the great office of Prime Minister".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.standard.net.au/story/794020/life-and-spaghetti-on-the-frasers-farm/ |title=Life and spaghetti on the Frasers' farm |author=Mary Alexander |date=15 July 2011 |quote=Mr Fraser stood up in Parliament on 9 March 1971, and announced his resignation as defence minister. Mr Fraser slammed prime minister John Gorton's interference in his ministerial responsibilities and accused him of disloyalty, saying he was 'not fit to hold the great office of Prime minister'. |work=standard.net.au}}</ref> Gorton's response on the floor of the House was infamously interrupted when journalist [[Alan Ramsey]] shouted "You liar!" to Gorton from the [[press gallery]]; realising his error, Ramsey quickly conveyed his gravest apology both to the House and, most particularly, to the Prime Minister. Gorton graciously accepted the apology, while inviting the Opposition to withdraw its motion that Ramsey be immediately arrested by the [[serjeant-at-arms]] of the House.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hancock|first=Ian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WTl_m5Jr-kYC|title=John Gorton: He did it his way|date=1 March 2011|publisher=Hachette Australia|isbn=978-0-7336-2841-2|language=en}}</ref>

Gorton called [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1971|a Liberal caucus meeting]] for 10 March 1971 to settle the matter. A motion of confidence in his leadership was tied. Under Liberal caucus rules of the time, a tied vote meant the motion was passed and hence Gorton could have remained as party leader and Prime Minister without further ado. However, he took it upon himself to resign, saying "Well, that is not a vote of confidence, so the party will have to elect a new leader."<ref>Neil Brown, ''On the Other Hand ... Sketches and Reflections from Political Life'', The Popular Press, 1993, p. 59</ref> A ballot was held and McMahon was elected leader and thus Prime Minister. Australian television marked the end of Gorton's stormy premiership with a newsreel montage accompanied by [[Frank Sinatra]]'s anthem "[[My Way]]".{{cn|date=July 2024}}

In a surprise move, Gorton contested and won the position of Deputy Leader, forcing McMahon to make him Defence Minister. This situation lasted until August, when Gorton published two articles detailing the problems he had with ministers leaking information from cabinet. McMahon forced Gorton's resignation on the grounds of disloyalty, and Gorton went to the backbench.<ref name=1971archives>Hancock, Ian. "[http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1971-events-issues.aspx Events and issues that made the news in 1971] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109165050/http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1971-events-issues.aspx |date=9 November 2014 }}". [[National Archives of Australia]]. Retrieved 2 November 2014.</ref>

==Final years in parliament==
[[File:President Nixon meeting with the Hon.Jack G Gorton - NARA - 194715.tif|thumb|left|Gorton meeting with U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Alexander Haig]] in April 1971]]

A number of polls during McMahon's prime ministership had Gorton as both the preferred Liberal leader and the preferred prime minister. In 1972, businessman [[David Hains]] commissioned a series of polls in marginal electorates that showed the Coalition would significantly increase its vote if Gorton mounted a successful comeback; for instance, polling in the [[Division of Henty]] found that his return would add eight points to the Liberal vote. However, Gorton generally downplayed the polling and did not mount an active campaign to oust McMahon.<ref>Hancock (2002), pp. 362–363.</ref> Labor went on to win a nine-seat majority at the [[1972 Australian federal election|1972 election]], ending 23 consecutive years of Coalition rule.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 364.</ref> A number of Gorton's contemporaries – including Country Party leader [[Doug Anthony]] and Labor ministers [[Clyde Cameron]], [[Doug McClelland]], and [[John Wheeldon]] – retrospectively expressed doubts as to whether Whitlam could have won if Gorton had returned to the prime ministership. [[Rupert Murdoch]], whose newspapers endorsed the Labor Party, stated in 2000 that "we would most certainly have supported the re-election of a Gorton government in 1972. And he would have won!".<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 365.</ref>

The seat of Henty, which became a particular point of Hains' polling as Hains made his case for Gorton to be restored as prime minister, was narrowly retained by the Liberals despite a huge swing towards Labor.

McMahon resigned as Liberal leader a few weeks after the 1972 election. Gorton was one of five candidates who stood [[1972 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|the resulting leadership ballot]], but polled only the fourth-highest total as [[Billy Snedden]] won a narrow victory over [[Nigel Bowen]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110626409|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=21 December 1972|title=Snedden faces his first problems |access-date=22 December 2022 |via=Trove}}</ref> Snedden subsequently appointed him to the opposition frontbench as spokesman for urban and regional development, the environment, and conservation.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=30 January 1973|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110704896|title=Snedden names 'Shadow' team |access-date=22 December 2022 |via=Trove}}</ref> Soon after being sworn in as prime minister, Whitlam responded to a congratulatory letter from Gorton by promising to "advance some of the causes which you were the first Australian Prime Minister to identify". Over the following years, several failed initiatives from Gorton's prime ministership were passed into law by the [[Whitlam government]]. This included the establishment of the [[Australian Film, Television and Radio School]] and the assertion of sovereignty over the territorial seabed and continental shelf.<ref>Hancock (2002), pp. 366–367.</ref>

===Social liberalism===
Early in 1973, Gorton stated his public support of "[[abortion]] on request, under certain conditions"; he was opposed to "compulsory pregnancy". He nonetheless voted against [[David McKenzie (Victorian politician)|David McKenzie]] and [[Tony Lamb]]'s private member's bill to legalise abortion in the Australian Capital Territory, as he believed it did not provide clear enough guidelines for medical practitioners. He preferred the conditions of the [[Menhennitt ruling]].<ref>Hancock (2002), pp. 367–368.</ref> Gorton was also a supporter of no-fault divorce. During the debate over what became the ''[[Family Law Act 1975]]'', he [[cross the floor|crossed the floor]] to oppose a Coalition amendment which he thought complicated the requirements for divorce through separation.<ref name=p377>Hancock (2002), p. 377.</ref>

In October 1973, Gorton introduced a motion in the House of Representatives calling for the [[LGBT rights in Australia|decriminalisation of homosexuality]], co-sponsored by Labor's [[Moss Cass]]. It was modelled on the recommendations of the UK's [[Wolfenden report]]. While noting his personal objections to homosexuality, Gorton stated that most gay people "hurt no one, harm no one and yet have this hanging over them". He dismissed arguments that decriminalisation would violate "God's law", noting that many religious leaders were in favour of a change, and stated that the existing law had led to "[[Gay bashing|bashing]]", blackmail, and suicides. The motion passed by 24 votes, with all parties receiving a [[conscience vote]]. However, it was of no legal effect as homosexuality law was the province of state laws and territory ordinances.<ref>Hancock (2002), pp. 368–369.</ref><ref name=":1">[http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/hansard80/hansardr80/1973-10-18/0029/hansard_frag.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf "House of Representatives Homosexuality Speech"], ''[[Hansard]]'', 18 October 1973.</ref>

===Resignation from the Liberal Party===
[[File:John Gorton 1974 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Gorton in 1974]]
Whitlam was re-elected at the [[1974 Australian federal election|1974 election]]. Gorton was dropped from shadow cabinet after the election, as was McMahon.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110783471|title=Old line-up changed|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=15 June 1974 |access-date=22 December 2022 |via=Trove}}</ref> In November 1974, following an unsuccessful attempt to install [[Malcolm Fraser]] as Liberal leader, he condemned those involved and stated they had caused "irreparable damage" to the party.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 374.</ref> On 3 March 1975, as leadership tensions continued to build, Gorton announced that he would not recontest his seat in parliament at the next election, citing his unwillingness to be a perpetual backbencher. He also stated: "If Fraser got in, it would be a disaster. He is extreme right-wing. The Liberal Party can't be a right-leaning affair."<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 376.</ref> When Fraser won [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 1975|a leadership spill]] on 21 March, Gorton reportedly stormed out of the meeting and slammed the door behind him.<ref name=p377/>

On 23 May 1975, Gorton announced his resignation from the Liberal Party and his intention to be an independent candidate for one of the new [[Australian Capital Territory]] (ACT) Senate seats. He hoped to join [[Steele Hall (Australian politician)|Steele Hall]] on the [[crossbench]] and secure the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]].<ref name=p377/> Opinion polling shortly after his announcement showed him winning 55 percent of the primary vote. His candidacy received endorsements from the small local branches of the [[Liberal Movement (Australia)|Liberal Movement]] and the [[Australia Party]].<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 379.</ref> Gough Whitlam was dismissed as prime minister on 11 November, sparking [[1975 Australian federal election|an early election]] on 13 December. During [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|the preceding constitutional crisis]], Gorton had denounced Fraser's actions in blocking [[Supply (political science)|supply]] in the Senate. Gorton advocated a vote and "a resounding victory" for Labor in election ads aired nationally, in protest against the dismissal of the Whitlam government.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 380.</ref> In the election, he polled 11.9 percent of the ACT Senate vote running on a two-man ticket with [[Harold Hird]]. It was the second-highest percentage for an independent candidate nation-wide, after [[Brian Harradine]]'s 12.8 percent in Tasmania, but nowhere near enough to win election. He had campaigned mainly on local issues, which obscured his candidacy somewhat in an election that was a virtual referendum on the Whitlam government.<ref>Hancock (2002), p. 381.</ref>

==Retirement and death==
[[File:Grave_of_John_Gorton,_Melbourne_General_Cemetery.jpg|thumb|Grave of Sir John within the 'Prime Ministers Garden' at [[Melbourne General Cemetery]]]]

Gorton retired to [[Canberra]], where he largely kept out of the political limelight. However, in March 1983, he congratulated [[Bob Hawke]] "for rolling that bastard Fraser" at [[1983 Australian federal election|that year's election]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Macinnis|first=Peter|title=The Big Book of Australian History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VfGLAQAAQBAJ|year=2013|publisher=National Library Australia|isbn=978-0-642-27832-6|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=VfGLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 221]}}</ref>

In 1977, Gorton was recruited to record a series of three-minute radio broadcasts on current affairs, titled "Sir John Gorton's viewpoints". He wrote and recorded around 400 segments over the following four years, which were syndicated and broadcast by over 80 radio stations around the country. His broadcasts covered a wide range of issues – he supported the decriminalisation of [[marijuana]] and [[prostitution]], called on Australians to welcome [[Vietnamese boat people]], opposed the creation of [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]], denounced "the cacophony known as modern music", opposed Aboriginal land rights, supported [[uranium]] mining, and opposed [[Republicanism in Australia|republicanism]]. He frequently criticised the [[Fraser government]], but grudgingly admired Fraser's ability to get his way as prime minister.<ref>Hancock (2002), pp. 384–389.</ref>

In 1989, Gorton was interviewed by [[Caroline Jones (broadcaster)|Caroline Jones]] on her [[Radio National]] program, [[The Search for Meaning (radio program)|The Search for Meaning]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Caroline |title=The search for meaning |date=1989 |publisher=ABC Enterprises in association with Collins Dove |isbn=978-0-642-12864-5 |location=Sydney}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Gorton quietly rejoined the Liberal Party; [[John Hewson]] credited himself with "returning Gorton to the fold."<ref>ABC TV "Midday Report", Interview w. J Hewson, 26 May 2010</ref> In 1993, Gorton was invited to open the Liberal Party's campaign headquarters for the [[1993 Australian federal election|1993 election]]. He endorsed Hewson's [[Fightback! (policy)|Fightback!]] package.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126976611|title=Gorton returns, hankering for change|date=17 February 1993|work=[[The Canberra Times]] |access-date=22 December 2022 |via=Trove}}</ref> In his old age he was rehabilitated by the Liberals; his 90th birthday party was attended by Prime Minister [[John Howard]] who said at the event: "He (Gorton) was a person who above everything else was first, second and last an Australian." Although he was back within Liberal circles, he never forgave Fraser; as late as 2002 he told his biographer Ian Hancock that he still could not tolerate being in the same room as Fraser.<ref>[[Cameron Stewart (journalist)|Cameron Stewart]], "Buried alive", ''[[The Weekend Australian]]'', 16–17 March 2002</ref>

Gorton died at Sydney's [[St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney|St Vincent's Hospital]] at the age of 90 in May 2002.<ref>{{cite news|last=Murphy|first=Damien|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/20/1021801645667.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|title=Larrikin PM who sacked himself dies aged 90|date=20 May 2002|access-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> A [[state funeral]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2002-05-20/state-funeral-for-sir-john-gorton/620960|work=ABC Radio|title=State funeral for Sir John Gorton|date=20 May 2002|access-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> and memorial service was held on 30 May at [[St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney|St Andrews' Cathedral]] where extremely critical remarks of Fraser, who was in attendance with wife [[Tamie Fraser|Tamie]], were delivered during the eulogy by Gorton's former Attorney-General [[Tom Hughes (Australian politician)|Tom Hughes]]. Current and former Prime Ministers Howard, [[Gough Whitlam]] and [[Bob Hawke]] were also in attendance.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/31/1022569833464.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|title=Hughes's wintry blast for the undertaker PM|date=1 June 2002|access-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> Gorton was cremated after a private service and his ashes interred within the 'Prime Ministers Garden' at [[Melbourne General Cemetery]].

==Personal life==
===Marriages and family===
[[File:John and Bettina Gorton 1970.jpg|thumb|upright|John and [[Bettina Gorton]] at the opening of Parliament on 3 March 1970]]

During a holiday in Spain while an undergraduate, Gorton met [[Bettina Gorton|Bettina Brown]] of [[Bangor, Maine]], United States. She was a language student at the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]]. This meeting came about through Gorton's friend from Oxford, Arthur Brown, who was Bettina's brother. In 1935, Gorton and Brown were married in Oxford. After his studies were finished, they settled in Australia, taking over his father's orchard, "Mystic Park", at [[Lake Kangaroo, Victoria|Lake Kangaroo]] near [[Kerang]], Victoria. They had three children: Joanna, Michael, and Robin. Bettina Gorton died of cancer in 1983. In 1993, he married again. His 2nd wife was Nancy Home (née Elliott), a long-time acquaintance.<ref name=naabg>{{cite web|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gorton/spouse.aspx|publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]]|title=Bettina Gorton|access-date=24 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315145301/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gorton/spouse.aspx|archive-date=15 March 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Gorton's granddaughter is poet and novelist [[Lisa Gorton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/lisa-gorton-prizewinning-poet-writes-her-first-novel-20150411-1mhp1c.html|title=Lisa Gorton: prize-winning poet writes her first novel|last=Sullivan|first=Jane|date=17 April 2015|website=The [[Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=27 September 2022}}[[File:Lock-red-alt-2.svg|9px|link=|alt=Paid subscription required|Paid subscription required]] <code>subscription</code>: the source is only accessible via a paid subscription ("[[paywall]]").</ref>

===Religious beliefs===
Gorton was a nominal Christian at least in the early part of his life, but was not a churchgoer. Some sources have identified him as agnostic or even atheist. He attended Anglican schools, and was influenced by the [[Christian socialist]] views of [[James Ralph Darling]], his headmaster at [[Geelong Grammar]].<ref>Williams, Roy (2013). ''In God They Trust?'', Bible Society Australia, p. 149.</ref> In a 1948 speech, Gorton said that "the story of Christianity is the most tremendous in the history of the world".<ref>Williams: 151.</ref> However, in the lead-up to the [[1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 referendum]] he publicly opposed mentioning God in the preamble. According to his biographer Ian Hancock: "Gorton may not have been a believing, let alone a practising, Christian, and when he spoke of religion of 'the soul' he did not have a particular faith in mind. Rather, his religion was founded upon the injunction in the [[Book of Deuteronomy]]: 'Man doth not live by bread only'."<ref>Hancock: 107</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:John Gorton bust.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of John Gorton by sculptor [[Victor Greenhalgh]] located in the [[Prime Ministers Avenue]] in the [[Ballarat Botanical Gardens]]]]

Gorton was appointed a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]] in 1968, a [[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]] in 1971,<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1065982 It's an Honour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042036/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1065982 |date=22 February 2019 }} – Companion of Honour</ref> a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]] in 1977,<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1073778 It's an Honour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042052/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1073778 |date=22 February 2019 }} – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George</ref> and a [[Companion of the Order of Australia]] in 1988.<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/884482 It's an Honour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129124645/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/884482 |date=29 January 2019 }} – Companion of the Order of Australia</ref> He was awarded the [[Centenary Medal]] in 2001.<ref>[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1125728 It's an Honour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042210/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1125728 |date=22 February 2019 }} – Centenary Medal</ref> [[Commonwealth Railways CL class]] locomotive CL1 was named ''John Gorton'' in February 1970.<ref>New CR Diesel Named after Prime Minister ''[[Railway Transportation]]'' March 1970 page 5</ref>

==See also==
*[[First Gorton Ministry]]
*[[Second Gorton Ministry]]

==Notes==
{{John Gorton sidebar}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
;Biographies
* {{cite book|first=Ian|last=Hancock|year=2002|title=John Gorton: He Did It His Way|publisher=Hodder|isbn=0-7336-1439-6}}
* {{cite book|first=Alan|last=Reid|author-link=Alan Reid (journalist)|year=1969|title=The Power Struggle|url=https://archive.org/details/powerstruggle0000reid|url-access=registration|publisher=Shakespeare Head Press}}
* {{cite book|first=Alan|last=Reid|author-link=Alan Reid (journalist)|year=1971|title=The Gorton Experiment|publisher=Shakespeare Head Press}}
* {{cite book|first=Alan|last=Trengove|year=1969|title=John Grey Gorton: An Informal Biography|publisher=Cassell}}
* {{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Paul |title=John Grey Gorton: Australian to the Bootheels |series=Australian Biographical Monographs |volume=8 |date=2020 |publisher=Connor Court Publishing |location=Redland Bay, Qld |isbn=9781922449269}}
;Book chapters
* {{cite book|first=Gerard|last=Henderson|author-link=Gerard Henderson|year=2000|chapter=Sir John Grey Gorton|title=Australian Prime Ministers|editor=[[Michelle Grattan]]|publisher=New Holland|isbn=1-86436-756-3}}
* {{cite book|first=Colin|last=Hughes|author-link=Colin Hughes|year=1976|chapter=John Gorton|title=Mr Prime Minister: Australian Prime Ministers 1901–1972|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-550471-2}}
;Journal articles
* {{cite journal|first1=Lachlan|last1=Clohesy|first2=Phillip|last2=Deery|title=The Prime Minister and the Bomb: John Gorton, W.C. Wentworth and the Quest for an Atomic Australia|doi=10.1111/ajph.12094|journal=Australian Journal of Politics & History|year=2015|volume=61|issue=2|pages=217–232}}
* {{cite journal |last=Hancock |first=Ian |url=https://www.aspg.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/VIP-final.pdf |title=The V.I.P. Affair, 1966–67: The causes, course and consequences of a ministerial and public service cover-up |journal=Australasian Parliamentary Review |volume=18 |publisher=Australasian Study of Parliament Group |year=2003 |issue=2}}
* {{cite journal|first=Chris|last=Sadleir|title=Gorton and the Re-Making of Political Tradition in Foreign Investment Policy|doi=10.1111/ajph.12324|journal=Australian Journal of Politics & History|year=2017|volume=63|issue=1|pages=78–92}}
* {{cite journal|first=Justus M.|last=van der Kroef|title=The Gorton Manner: Australia, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.|year=1969|journal=Pacific Affairs|doi=10.2307/2753901|pages=311–333|volume=42|number=3|jstor=2753901 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|John Gorton}}
*{{cite web |title=John Gorton |url=https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/john-gorton|work=Australia's Prime Ministers |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |access-date=14 February 2022}}
*{{cite web|title=Prime Ministers of Australia, John Gorton |publisher=[[National Museum of Australia]]|url=http://www.nma.gov.au/primeministers/john_gorton |access-date=29 June 2010 }}
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