Wilfred Mibus

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = Wilfred Mibus

|honorific-suffix =

|image =

|alt =

|caption =

|office = Minister for Water Supply and Mines

|premier = Henry Bolte

|term_start = 7 June 1955

|term_end = 18 April 1964

|predecessor = Clive Stoneham (Water Supply)
George Tilley (Mines)

|successor = Jim Balfour

|constituency_AM2 = Lowan

|assembly2 = Victorian Legislative

|term_start2 = 4 November 1944

|term_end2 = 3 October 1945

|predecessor2 = Hamilton Lamb

|constituency_AM3 = Borung

|assembly3 = Victorian Legislative

|term_start3 = 10 November 1945

|term_end3 = 22 April 1955

|constituency_AM4 = Lowan

|assembly4 = Victorian Legislative

|term_start4 = 28 May 1955

|term_end4 = 18 April 1964

|successor4 = Jim McCabe

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1900|9|14|df=y}}

|birth_place = Katyil (near Dimboola), Victoria

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1964|4|18|1900|9|14|df=y}}

|death_place = Horsham, Victoria, Australia

|restingplace =

|restingplacecoordinates =

|birthname = Johan Wilfred John Mibus

|nationality = Australian

|party = Country Party
Liberal and Country Party

|otherparty =

|spouse = {{marriage|Dora Esther Louise Graebner|26 Aug 1925}}

|relations =

|children =

|residence =

|alma_mater =

|occupation =

|profession =

|cabinet =

|committees =

|portfolio =

}}

Johan Wilfred John "Mick" Mibus, known as Wilfred Mibus or Mick Mibus (14 September 1900 – 18 April 1964) was an Australian politician. He was a Country Party representative of the electoral district of Lowan (called Borung from 1945 to 1955) from 1944 until his death in 1964.

Early life

Wilfred Mibus was born in 1900 in the small settlement of Katyil, near Dimboola, Victoria, to pioneer farmer Carl August Mibus and his wife Mathilda Nuske. Mibus studied for the Lutheran ministry at Concordia College in Adelaide, South Australia. He also attempted three years of a medical degree at the University of Melbourne, but gave up his studies due to severe asthma.[http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1326 Mibus, (Johan) Wilfred John], Re-member, Parliament of Victoria.

Political career

Mibus worked as a campaign manager for his friend, Hamilton Lamb, who was the Member for Lowan from 1935 until 1943. Lamb died as a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp on the Burma Railway, and in his will, recommended that Mibus replace him in Lowan. Mibus was duly elected at the Lowan by-election on 4 November 1944.{{cite web|last=Lamb|first=Tony|title=From Wimmera to War|url=http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/aspg/papers/ASPG_TonyLamb_FromWimmeraToWar.pdf|publisher=Australasian Study of Parliaments Group in Victoria|accessdate=20 February 2013}}

In 1949, Mibus was one of six Country MPs who defected to the Liberal and Country Party formed by Thomas Hollway from the Victorian division of the Liberal Party. The Country Party branded Mibus a "rebel" for his actions, and ran a Country candidate against him in Borung at the 1950 state election. Mibus was re-elected, and stated that the electors of Borung had endorsed his change of parties.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72802258 |title=Electors Cleared Swing Says Mibus. |newspaper=The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 - 1954) |location=Vic. |date=19 May 1950 |accessdate=20 February 2013 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Mibus died in office on 18 April 1964. He left an estate worth £A38,902 to his widow Dora, his son and his daughter.{{cite news|title=Minister left 38,902|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19641022&id=iOhjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9ZQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3011,3935088|accessdate=20 February 2013|newspaper=The Age|date=22 October 1964}} No by-election was held for Lowan as a state election was held on 27 June that year, with Jim McCabe retaining the seat for the Liberal and Country Party.[http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1256 McCabe, James Edmund], Re-member, Parliament of Victoria.

References

{{reflist}}