Reginald Weaver

Reginald Weaver
Weaver in October 1932
16th Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales
Elections: 1944
In office
10 February 1944 – 12 November 1945
MonarchGeorge VI
DeputyAthol Richardson
Preceded byAlexander Mair
Succeeded byAlexander Mair
19th Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
In office
4 August 1937 – 27 May 1941
Preceded bySir Daniel Levy
Succeeded byDaniel Clyne
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for Neutral Bay
In office
8 October 1927 – 12 November 1945
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byIvan Black
Personal details
Born(1876-07-18)18 July 1876
Quirindi, Colony of New South Wales
Died12 November 1945(1945-11-12) (aged 69)
Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse(s)Gertrude Weaver
(née Walker)
EducationNewington College
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceAustralia Australian Army
Years of service1918
RankPrivate
UnitAIF
Battles/warsWorld War I

Reginald Walter Darcy Weaver (18 July 1876 – 12 November 1945) was an Australian conservative parliamentarian who served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 28 years. Serving from 1917 in the backbenches, he entered the cabinet of Thomas Bavin in 1929 as Secretary for Mines and Minister for Forests until he returned to opposition in 1930. Following the success of the United Australia Party in the 1932 election, Weaver returned as the Secretary for Public Works and Minister for Health in the Stevens ministry.

In 1935 he was dropped from the ministry but was later elected as the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1937, holding office until the Mair Government lost power in 1941. Weaver then witnessed the death of the United Australia Party in 1943 and became the leader of the new Democratic Party in 1944. He was then involved in the negotiations to form the New South Wales branch of the Liberal Party, with Weaver becoming the first leader of the state Liberal Party in April 1945. He served only briefly until dying of a heart attack in November 1945.[1]

  1. ^ Bourke, Helen. "Weaver, Reginald Walter Darcy (1876–1945)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 2 July 2020.