Crawford Vaughan

Crawford Vaughan (14 July 1874 – 15 December 1947) was an Australian politician, and the Premier of South Australia from 1915 to 1917. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1905 to 1918, representing Torrens (1905–1915) and Sturt (1915–1918). Elected for the United Labor Party, he served as Treasurer in the Verran government, succeeded Verran as Labor leader in 1913, and was elected Premier after the Labor victory at the 1915 state election.

Vaughan's career was curtailed by the 1916–17 Labor split over conscription in World War I, as Vaughan and other supporters of conscription were expelled from the Labor Party in early 1917. Vaughan continued in office until July heading a minority government of the splinter National Party; however, his government was then ousted by the conservative Liberal Union opposition of Archibald Peake. The National Party went into coalition, serving under Peake as junior instead of senior partner, but Vaughan did not take a ministerial portfolio, spent most of his remaining term overseas, and was defeated at the 1918 election after launching a last-minute campaign as an independent candidate.

Early life

Vaughan was born in Adelaide, the son of government photolithographer Alfred Vaughan. He was educated at the Norwood and Marryatville public schools and then Prince Alfred College. After leaving school, he worked for Elder, Smith & Co. Ltd for four years.

Politics

Vaughan was elected to the House of Assembly at the 1905 state election, winning a seat for the United Labor Party in the five-member Torrens at the age of 30. He had previously made two unsuccessful attempts for office: as a Free Trade Party candidate for the Australian House of Representatives at the 1901 federal election, and as an independent candidate for the Australian Senate at the 1903 federal election. He became party whip in 1909, and was promoted to Cabinet as Treasurer when John Verran led Labor to victory at the 1910 election. before taking up politics, and in later life had two books published: Golden Wattle Time published in Sydney 1942 by Frank Johnson and The Last of Captain Bligh published in London 1950 by Staples Press. He was also the author of radio scripts.

He moved to Sydney after leaving parliament, where he developed a number of business interests. In retirement, he devoted much of his time to his literary interests. He died at his home in Sydney in 1947, and was awarded a state funeral by the government of South Australia.

Family In 1906 he married Evelyn Goode, sister of parliamentary colleague Clarence Goode. After her death in 1927 he remarried in 1934 to Millicent Preston-Stanley, the first woman to be elected to the Parliament of New South Wales.