Bob Heffron

The Honourable Bob Heffron
Heffron as Premier in 1963
30th Premier of New South Wales Election: 1962
In office 23 October 1959 – 30 April 1964
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor	Sir Eric Woodward
Deputy	Jack Renshaw
Preceded by	Joseph Cahill
Succeeded by	Jack Renshaw
Minister for Education
In office 8 June 1944 – 31 May 1960
Premier	William McKell James McGirr Joseph Cahill Himself
Preceded by	Clive Evatt
Succeeded by	Ernest Wetherell
4th Deputy Premier of New South Wales
In office 23 February 1953 – 28 October 1959
Premier	Joseph Cahill
Preceded by	Joseph Cahill
Succeeded by	Jack Renshaw
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Botany
In office 25 October 1930 – 22 May 1950
Preceded by	Thomas Mutch
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Maroubra
In office 17 June 1950 – 23 January 1968
Preceded by	New district
Succeeded by	Bill Haigh
Personal details
Born	Robert James Heffron (1890-09-10)10 September 1890 Thames, Colony of New Zealand
Died	27 July 1978(1978-07-27) (aged 87) Kirribilli, New South Wales, Australia
Resting place	Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
Political party	New Zealand Socialist Party Victorian Socialist Party Industrial Labor Party Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)
Spouse	Jessie Bjornstad (m.1917–1977)
Children	Maylean Jessie Cordia OAM (1919–2006) June Ellen Healy (1923-2008)[1]

Robert James Heffron (10 September 1890 – 27 July 1978), also known as Bob Heffron or R. J. Heffron, was a long-serving New South Wales politician, union organiser and Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 1959 to 1964. Born in New Zealand, Heffron became involved in various Socialist and labour movements in New Zealand and later Australia before joining the Australian Labor Party. A prominent unionist organiser, we was gaoled for "conspiracy to strike action". He was later elected to the Parliament of New South Wales for Botany in 1930. However his disputes with party leader Jack Lang led to his expulsion from the ALP in 1936 and Heffron formed his own party from disgruntled Labor MPs known as the Industrial Labor Party. The success of his party enabled his readmission to the party and his prominence in a post-Lang NSW Branch which won office in 1941.

Heffron served as Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of William McKell, James McGirr and Joseph Cahill, most notably as Minister for Education from 1944 to 1960 and as Deputy Premier. In his significant tenure as minister for education Heffron oversaw significant reforms through his commissioning of the "Wyndham Report" and the consequent Public Education Act of 1961, and a massive expansion of the state's public schools. He also oversaw the development of higher education services, including the establishment of the New South Wales University of Technology (now the University of New South Wales). Rising to become premier in 1959, he spearheaded a final attempt to abolish the New South Wales Legislative Council via referendum in 1961, which ended in failure. Serving as premier until 1964, Heffron was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 37 years until his retirement on 23 January 1968.