John Grenfell Crawford AC CBE (1910 - 1984)

Born 4 Apr 1910 in Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia

Husband of Jessie Anderson (Morgan) Crawford — married 18 May 1935 in Bexley, New South Wales, Australia

Died 28 Oct 1984 at age 74 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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Biography

John Crawford AC CBE is Notable.

Sir John Crawford AC CBE was an Australian agricultural economist, public servant and academic administrator, and a key architect of Australia's post-(Second World) War growth.

John Crawford AC CBE was born in New South Wales, Australia

John Grenfell Crawford was born on 4th April 1910 in Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia. He was the tenth of twelve children (and fifth of six surviving sons) of Henry Crawford and Harriet Wood. ^[1] Jack was educated at Bexley Public and Sydney Boys’ High schools.

Whilst he was studying at the University of Sydney (BEc 1932; MEc 1940), he worked as a junior clerk in the Department of the Attorney-General and of Justice. He later gained a Teachers’ College scholarship; training by day while continuing his economics studies at night. As a young man in the Depression, John had a few months of unemployment before a year of school teaching at Stanmore and Temora. From 1933 to 1935 he held a Walter and Eliza Hall research fellowship at the University of Sydney and from 1934 to 1942 he was a part-time lecturer in rural economics there.

John married Scottish-born Jessie Morgan on 18th May 1935 in the Presbyterian Church, Bexley, in Sydney's south. ^[2] The couple subsequently had one daughter.

john was a highly successful tutor in economics and international affairs for the Workers’ Educational Association of New South Wales, and economic adviser (1935-44) to the Rural Bank of New South Wales.

In 1941 John helped to create the Agricultural Economics Section of the New South Wales Government's Department of Agriculture. The following year, with the Second World War ominously close to the Australian mainland, he began working at the Department of War Organisation of Industry, before being appointed Director of Research at the Department of Post-War Reconstruction in 1943. In 1945 he was appointed inaugural Director of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, followed by Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Agriculture (later Department of Trade).

In the New Year Honours 1954 John was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his work as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture ^[3] and created Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours 1959 for his service as Secretary of the Department of Trade. ^[4]

He held several positions at the Australian National University: Director of the Research School of Pacific (and Asian) Studies (1960-67), Vice-Chancellor (1968-73) and then Chancellor (1976-84).

In the Australia Day Honours 1978 John was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) 'for eminent and meritorious public service and services to commerce, industry, trade, agriculture, learning and international relations'. ^[5] He was named Australian of the Year in 1981.

Aged 74 years, he passed away on 28th October 1984 in Royal Canberra Hospital, Canberra. He was survived by his wife. Their daughter had predeceased them.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #15620/1910; registered at Hurstville
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #6730/1935; registered at Sydney
3. ↑ Australian Honours: CBE; accessed 23 Apr 2024
4. ↑ Australian Honours: Knight Bachelor; accessed 23 Apr 2024
5. ↑ Australian Honours: AC; accessed 23 Apr 2024

See also

• Miller, J D B. 'Crawford, Sir John Grenfell (Jack) (1910–1984)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 2007; accessed online 23 Apr 2024.
• Wikipedia: John Crawford; accessed 23 Apr 2024.