Laurie Wilkinson

Lawrence Degenhardt "Laurie" Wilkinson (12 November 1903 – 9 November 1991) was an Australian politician. Born in Perth, Western Australia, he was educated at Perth Modern School, then the South Australian School of Mines and finally the University of Adelaide before becoming an electrical engineer. He was also a dairy farmer and telecommunications engineer. In 1966, he won a special election for the Australian Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Liberal Senator Shane Paltridge, which had already been filled by Reg Withers; Wilkinson, as a Labor Party candidate, defeated Withers to win the seat. He held the seat until his retirement in 1974. Wilkinson died in 1991.