Josiah Francis

Sir Josiah Francis (28 March 1890 – 22 February 1964) was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1922 to 1955. He was a minister in the Lyons and Menzies governments, serving as Minister in charge of War Service Homes (1932–1934), Minister for the Army (1949–1955), and Minister for the Navy (1949–1951; 1954–1955). He held his defence portfolios during Australia's involvement in the Korean War.

Early life

Francis was born on 28 March 1890 in Ipswich, Queensland. He was the son of Ada Florence (née Hooper) and Henry Alfred Francis. His grandfather Josiah Francis was a prominent businessman in Ipswich, serving as the town's mayor and representing the seat of Ipswich in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

Francis was educated at Christian Brothers' College, Ipswich, before joining the Queensland Department of Justice as a clerk in 1908. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1916. He served with the 15th Battalion in France from April 1917 and was wounded in the shoulder in March 1918, rejoining his unit in September after several months in hospital. He was promoted captain in November before being discharged in Australia in September 1919. Francis became prominent in the Returned Sailors' and Soldiers' Imperial League of Australia, serving as president of the Ipswich sub-branch and Moreton district division. He also chaired the fundraising appeal for the Anzac Memorial Chapel at the Royal Military College, Duntroon.

Personal life In 1927, Francis married Edna Clarke Cribb, the daughter of state MP James Clarke Cribb. The couple had no children. He collapsed and died on 22 February 1964 while watching a regatta on the Brisbane River at Toowong. He was granted a state funeral which was held at the Albert Street Methodist Church and attended by former prime ministers Arthur Fadden and Frank Forde.