Preceded by Edward Mann Died December 12, 1958 Preceded by George Bell Party United Australia Party | Nationality Australian Succeeded by Tom Burke Name Walter Nairn Resigned August 21, 1943 | |
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Born 1879
Alberton, Victoria, Australia ( 1879 ) Political party Nationalist (1929–31)
UAP (1931–43) Role Former Member of the Australian House of Representatives Previous office Member of the Australian Parliament (1929–1943) | ||
Walter Maxwell Nairn (1879 – 12 December 1958) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1929 to 1943, representing the electorate of Perth for the Nationalist Party of Australia and its successor the United Australia Party. He was the Speaker of the House from 1940 to 1943.
Nairn was born in Gippsland, Victoria, and was raised on a farm before receiving a scholarship to South Melbourne College. He subsequently moved to Western Australia and became a journalist, working on the literary staff of the Morning Herald and The West Australian. He then worked as a managing clerk for a firm of solicitors, Perry and Hill, before articling as a solicitor and founding his own firm, Nairn and McDonald. In public life, he was president of the Western Australian Bowling Association, vice-president of the Mount Lawley Golf Club and a committee member of the Royal Automobile Club. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the state seat of North Perth at the 1911 state election.
Nairn was elected to the House at the 1929 federal election, defeating incumbent and dissident former Nationalist member Edward Mann, who had renominated as an independent. He served on the public works committee and as deputy chairman of committees, and was re-elected in 1931, 1934, 1937 and 1940. He was elected Speaker of the House after the 1940 election, unexpectedly winning a heavily contested partyroom ballot for the government nominee to succeed George John Bell, who had stepped down following the election. He remained Speaker after the Menzies minority government was defeated in parliament and replaced by the Curtin Labor government, but resigned prior to the 1943 election to allow him to vote on a no-confidence motion. He lost his seat to Labor candidate Tom Burke at the election.
Nairn returned to his legal practice after his parliamentary defeat, and practised into the mid-1950s. He died in 1958, and was accorded a state funeral in Perth. His brother, William Ralph Nairn, was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly.