Eric Willis

Sir Eric Willis
Willis c. 1965
34th Premier of New South Wales
Elections: 1976
In office
23 January 1976 – 14 May 1976
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorSir Roden Cutler
DeputyLeon Punch
Preceded byTom Lewis
Succeeded byNeville Wran
Minister for Education
In office
19 June 1972 – 23 January 1976
PremierRobert Askin
Tom Lewis
Preceded bySir Charles Cutler
Succeeded byNeil Pickard
24th Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales
In office
14 May 1976 – 16 December 1977
DeputyJohn Maddison
Preceded byNeville Wran
Succeeded byPeter Coleman
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for Earlwood
In office
17 June 1950 – 16 June 1978
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byKen Gabb
Personal details
Born(1922-01-15)15 January 1922
Murwillumbah, New South Wales
Died10 May 1999(1999-05-10) (aged 77)
Sydney, New South Wales
Political partyLiberal Party
RelationsMax Willis
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceAustralian Army
Years of service1941–1958
RankMajor
UnitIntelligence Corps
Citizen Military Forces
Battles/wars

Sir Eric Archibald Willis KBE, CMG (15 January 1922 – 10 May 1999) was an Australian politician, Cabinet Minister and the 34th Premier of New South Wales, serving from 23 January 1976 to 14 May 1976. Born in Murwillumbah in 1922, Willis was educated at Murwillumbah High School and the University of Sydney, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts with double honours. Enlisting during World War II, Willis served on the homefront and later served in New Guinea and the Philippines. He continued to serve the Citizen Military Forces until 1958.[1]

After serving a period as a geographer, Willis was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Liberal member for Earlwood in 1950. He rose to become a long-serving Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party from 1959 to 1975 under Robert Askin. When the Coalition won the 1965 election, Willis was made a Minister of the Crown as Chief Secretary, Minister for Labour and Industry, Tourism and Sport but rose to prominence in his role as Minister for Education from 1972 to 1976. When Askin retired in 1975, Willis failed in his attempts to succeed him.[1]

Following the ousting of Askin's successor, Tom Lewis, by the party, Willis was elected as the Parliamentary Leader of the Liberal Party and subsequently became Premier. However, after only four months in office, his Liberal/National Country Party Coalition was defeated at the 1976 election by the Labor Party under Neville Wran. Continuing as Leader of the Opposition, Willis resigned in 1977 and retired from politics a year later.[1] Thereafter he served in various organisations and directorships until his death in May 1999.[2]

  1. ^ a b c "Death of Sir Eric Archibald Willis KBE, a Former Premier of New South Wales". Hansard. Parliament of New South Wales. 12 May 1999. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nsw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).