Sir John Herman (Henry) Lienhop (3 February 1886 – 27 April 1967) was an Australian politician and grazier. He was the member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Bendigo Province from June 1937 to February 1951.

Sir John Lienhop
Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for Bendigo Province
In office
June 1937 – February 1951
Preceded byHerbert Keck
George Lansell
Succeeded byThomas Grigg
George Lansell
Personal details
Born
John Herman Lienhop

(1886-02-03)3 February 1886
Kangaroo Flat, Victoria
Died27 April 1967(1967-04-27) (aged 81)
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Political partyCountry Party
Other political
affiliations
Liberal and Country Party
Spouse(s)Rosetta Wirth (1910–1928; her death)
Catherine Mary Dalton (1951–1967; his death)
OccupationGrazier

Lienhop was born in Kangaroo Flat near Bendigo to Albert Lienhop, a German publican, and Irish-born Bridget Nash. His father died in 1896, and Lienhop took over management of the family's pub, the Kangaroo Flat Hotel. From 1912, he owned an 8000-acre grazing property called The Springs at Womboota near Deniliquin.

He first entered local politics as a City of Bendigo councillor from 1932 to 1937, then was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council as one of two Country Party members for Bendigo Province (alongside George Lansell).[1] He was first appointed to cabinet in April 1942, as a Minister without Portfolio, replacing the deceased Henry Pye.[2] In September 1943, he was appointed to the Second Dunstan Ministry as Commissioner of Public Works until the Dunstan government was defeated in 1945; and was Minister in Charge of Electrical Undertakings and Minister of Mines from 1947 to 1948. In 1949, Lienhop defected from the Country Party to the Liberal and Country Party formed by Thomas Hollway. Although he did not return to the Country Party, he did support John McDonald's Country government in several key votes in 1950.[3]

Lienhop resigned from the Legislative Council in February 1951 to become Agent-General for Victoria in London. He was knighted in 1951. Upon his return after his five-year term in 1956, he wrote an article for The Argus newspaper, criticising what he saw as an imbalanced migration system which would jeopardise the state's primary industries, with a small percentage of migrants to Victoria moving to rural industry areas.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Charles Fahey, 'Lienhop, Sir John Herman (Henry) (1886–1967)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 17 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Minister of the Crown (per 5172/42)". Victoria Government Gazette. Victorian Government Printer. 29 April 1942. p. 1942:1749.
  3. ^ Lienhop, Sir John Herman, re-member (Parliament of Victoria).
  4. ^ "Sir John Lienhop sees a crisis: Australia at the crossroads". The Argus. Melbourne. 24 May 1956. p. 4. Retrieved 17 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
Victorian Legislative Council
Preceded by Member for Bendigo Province
1937–1951
Served alongside: George Lansell
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Commissioner of Public Works
1943–1945
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister in Charge of Electrical Undertakings
1947–1948
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Mines
1947–1984
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Agent-General for Victoria
1951–1956
Succeeded by