Hon John Gunn

John Gunn

16 December 1885

Australian Labor Party

Adelaide

House of Assembly

12 March 1915

A self-educated man, John Gunn came to South Australia from Victoria and was active in Union politics before entering the Lower House as a Labor representative in 1915. Gunn resigned his seat, failing in his attempt to win Boothby on an anti-conscriptionist platform in 1917, though he won a seat for Adelaide in 1918. After Vaughan split from the mainstream Labor Party, Gunn was elected Party leader, and acted to increase Labor's influence in both metropolitan and country areas. He became Premier in 1924 after Labor's victory and, although many of the government's proposals were defeated by a conservative Upper House, it was under Gunn's leadership that the State Bank of South Australia was established. Gunn made the most of the State's booming economy, investing in housing projects, road programmes and environmental development. He also significantly increased government expenditure on education. Popular with the public and respected by his political opponents, Gunn caused widespread surprise when he resigned as Premier after two years to take up a position in Melbourne on the Commonwealth Development and Migration Commission. The Commission was wound up in 1930, and Gunn moved to the Prime Minister's department, where he served as Director of Development at a much reduced salary before his contract was terminated in 1935. Separated from his wife and family, Gunn suffered a nervous breakdown and his career was effectively over. He died in obscurity in New South Wales in 1959.

27 June 1959