Bettina Gorton | |
|---|---|
 Gorton in 1970 | |
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia | |
| In office 10 January 1968 – 10 March 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Dame Zara Holt |
| Succeeded by | Sonia McMahon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bettina Edith Brown 23 June 1915 Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | 2 October 1983 (aged 68) Acton, Canberra, Australia |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Australian National University |
Bettina Edith Gorton, Lady Gorton (née Brown; 23 June 1915 – 2 October 1983) was an American-born Australian academic who was best known as the first wife of John Gorton, the 19th Prime Minister of Australia. She was born in Portland, Maine, and met her husband while studying in France. They married in 1935. She developed an interest in South-East Asian culture relatively late in life, learning to speak Malay and Javanese and completing her first university degree at the age of 50. She was involved with a long-running Australian National University project to compile a Malay–English dictionary, although she curtailed her involvement during her husband's prime ministership (1968–1971).