Herbert Johnson

Herbert Victor Johnson (25 October 1889 – 10 July 1962) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the House of Representatives from 1940 to 1948. He was Minister for the Interior in the Chifley government from 1945 to 1949.

Early life Johnson was born on 25 October 1889 in Northampton, Western Australia. He was the son of Catherine (née Hartigan) and Arthur Johnson. His father had been transported to Western Australia as a convict in 1867 for theft and later became a farmer.

Johnson's mother committed suicide when he was an infant, leaving nine children. His father later remarried and had a further five children. Johnson received his education at a local convent school. He left school at a young age and began working as a shearer in the Murchison, Gascoyne and North-West. He claimed a world record for sheep shearing of "3761 sheep in 17½ days" in 1914.

He was unhappy with H. V. Evatt's leadership of the party during the 1955 split that led to the creation of the Democratic Labor Party and publicly expressed his concerns in 1957. This led the party to withhold endorsement of his candidacy at future elections, although he had already decided to retire at the 1958 election.

Personal life In 1913, Johnson married Ethel Lucas. He died in 1962 at Royal Perth Hospital, survived by his wife, two of his three sons and three of his four daughters.