Harry Edwards (politician)

{{Short description|Australian politician, economist and academic}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Dr Harry Edwards

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AM}}

| image = Harry_Edwards.jpg

| constituency_MP = Berowra

| parliament = Australian

| majority =

| predecessor = Tom Hughes

| successor = Philip Ruddock

| term_start = 2 December 1972

| term_end = 8 February 1993

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1927|1|10}}

| birth_place = Drummoyne, New South Wales, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2012|6|26|1927|1|10}}

| death_place =

| nationality = Australian

| spouse =

| party = Liberal Party of Australia

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = University of Sydney

| occupation = Economist, university professor

| profession =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Harold Raymond Edwards {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (10 January 1927 – 26 June 2012) was an Australian politician, economist and academic.

Early life and education

Born in Drummoyne, Sydney, Edwards was educated at Abbotsford Public School until his family moved to Temora, due to the Sydney smog aggravating his sister's asthma. In Temora, Edwards joined the Air Corps and gained his private pilot's licence. When he finished his schooling, he returned to Sydney to attend the University of Sydney, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in economics.{{cite news|title=Uniting force in economics|url=http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/uniting-force-in-economics-20121025-28831.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=26 October 2012}}

Academic career

Edwards received his PhD from Nuffield College, Oxford—his doctoral thesis, Competition and Monopoly in the British Soap Industry, was published as a book in 1962. He was subsequently Professor of Economic Theory at the University of Sydney from 1962 to 1965. In 1966 he became Professor of Economics at Macquarie University, a position he held until 1972.{{cite web|last=Carr|first=Adam|title=Australian Election Archive|work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive|url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia|year=2008|accessdate=2008-05-08}} Among his students was John Hewson.{{cite web|last=Green|first=Antony|authorlink=Antony Green|title=Berowra|work=Antony Green's Election Guide 2007|publisher=ABC Elections|url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/bero.htm|year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-08}}

Political career

In 1972, Tom Hughes, the Liberal member for the very safe Australian House of Representatives seat of Berowra was preselected for the seat, but subsequently retired after being removed from the ministry. Edwards nominated for preselection, which he won against a large field of 24 candidates including future Prime Minister John Howard. He was elected at the 1972 federal election, and held the seat until his retirement in 1993. Edwards was the only person to be on the Coalition front bench during the Labor governments of both Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke, without holding ministerial position during the intervening Liberal government of Malcolm Fraser.{{cite web|last=Carr|first=Adam|title=Berowra|work=Adam Carr's Guide to the 2007 Federal Election|url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/2007seats/berowra.shtml|year=2008|accessdate=2008-05-08}}

Edwards was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005.{{cite web|title=EDWARDS, Harold Raymond|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1057621|website=It's an Honour|publisher=Australian Government|accessdate=4 May 2017|archive-date=5 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005165809/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1057621&search_type=simple&showInd=true|url-status=live}}