Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Uncommon card · No. 123251

Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 1911 – 23 April 2005) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as premier of Queensland from 1968 to 1987 as leader of the Queensland National Party (earlier known as the Country Party). He was renowned for his political longevity and the institutional corruption that pervaded his government. Bjelke-Petersen was born in New Zealand's North Island to Danish immigrant parents. His family moved to Australia when he was a child and settled on farming property near Kingaroy, Queensland. He left school at the age of 14 and went into farming. Bjelke-Petersen was elected to the Kingaroy Shire Council in 1946 and to the Queensland Legislative Assembly at the 1947 state election. He would serve in state parliament for over 40 years, holding the seats of Nanango (1947–1950) and Barambah (1950–1987). Bjelke-Petersen was appointed as a government minister in 1963 and succeeded as premier and Country Party leader in 1968 following the death of Jack Pizzey...

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