John Winston Howard 25th Prime Minister of Australia Date of Birth: 26.07.1939 Country: Australia

Biography of John Winston Howard

John Winston Howard, the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, was born in 1939 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He was the fourth child of Mona (née Kell) and Lyall Howard, and grew up with his three brothers - Stanley, Walter, and Robert. Coming from a Methodist family, Howard started working at a petrol station as a teenager. Despite a hearing impairment since childhood, he excelled academically at Earlwood Primary School and Canterbury Boys' High School. He pursued a law degree at the University of Sydney and graduated in 1961.

In 1957, Howard became a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. From 1962 to 1964, he served as the President of the Young Liberals. In 1963, he participated in the election campaign of Tom Hughes, and in 1967, he decided to run as a candidate in the Drummoyne electoral district with the support of his party. However, he was unsuccessful in the 1968 elections.

In 1974, Howard was elected to the House of Representatives, and in 1975, he became the Minister for the Interior under Malcolm Fraser, whom he had previously supported during his pre-election campaign. In 1977, Howard assumed the position of Minister for Finance and held it for five years, gaining a reputation as a strong advocate for free-market economics. He supported tax reform, targeting wages, taxation, and union activities. In 1978, the Campbell Committee, a commission investigating financial reform, was established by the government.

During a period of economic turmoil in the early 1980s, Howard faced opposition from Fraser due to conservative differences. The state of the treasury, and subsequently Howard himself, faced sharp criticism from Fraser. In July 1982, John Howard resigned from his position as Minister for Finance, having served from 1977 to 1982.

From 1985 to 1989, Howard led the Liberal Party and served as the Leader of the Opposition. He was re-elected as the Leader of the Opposition in 1995, and in the federal elections of 1996, he led his party to victory. From March 1996 to December 3, 2007, Howard served as the Prime Minister of Australia, becoming the second-longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, only surpassed by Sir Robert Menzies. During his tenure, Howard focused on taxation reform, labor relations, immigration, the Iraq War, and Australian policies towards indigenous people.

In the 2007 federal elections, Howard's party suffered defeat to the Labor Party led by Kevin Rudd. Consequently, Howard also lost his seat in parliament.

John Howard has been married to Janette Parker since 1971 and has three children - Melanie (born in 1974), Tim (born in 1977), and Richard (born in 1980).