1901

Jane Barton

Lady Jane Barton

Jane (Jeanie) Mason Ross
11 June 1851 – 23 March 1938

Married:
28 December 1877
Sir Edmund Barton
Protectionist Party

Children:
4 sons, 2 daughters

Term as prime minister’s wife:
1 January 1901 – 24 September 1903 (2 years, 8 months, 24 days)

‘Strong both in physique and character, indefatigably and loyally devoted to her husband and family.’

Image: National Library of Australia.

1903

Pattie Deakin

Pattie Deakin

Elizabeth Martha Anne (Pattie) Browne
1 January 1863 – 30 December 1934

Married:
3 April 1882
Alfred Deakin
Protectionist Party

Children:
3 daughters

Term as prime minister’s wife:
24 September 1903 – 27 April 1904
5 July 1905 – 13 November 1908
2 June 1909 – 29 April 1910

(Total: 4 years, 10 months, 11 days)

‘full of life and spirit…modest, capable…and absolutely mistress of herself.’ – Alfred Deakin

Image: Alfred Deakin Prime Ministerial Library.

1904

Ada Watson

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Ada Jane Lowe
1859 – 19 April 1921
Dressmaker

Married:
27 November 1889
John Christian Watson
Australian Labor Party

Children:
None

Term as prime minister’s wife:
27 April 1904 – 17 August 1904 (3 months, 21 days)

‘[She was] a fine woman.’ – John Christian Watson

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1904

Florence Reid

Flora Reid

Florence (Flora) Ann Brumby (Bromby)
10 November 1869 – 1 September 1950

Married:
5 November 1891
George Houstoun Reid
Free Trade Party

Children:
2 sons, 1 daughter

Term as prime minister’s wife:
18 August 1904 – 5 July 1905 (10 months, 18 days)

[She was] devoted, true and unselfish…’ – George Reid

Image: National Library of Australia.

1908

Margaret Fisher

Margaret Fisher

Margaret Jane Irvine
1868 – 15 June 1958

Married:
31 December 1901
Andrew Fisher
Australian Labor Party

Children:
1 daughter, 5 sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
13 November 1908 – 2 June 1909
29 April 1910 – 24 June 1913
17 September 1914 – 27 October 1915

(total: 4 years, 9 months, 18 days)

‘An intelligent and clear-sighted woman…her tastes remained simple and her chief interest was her family’.

Image: National Archives of Australia.

1913

Mary Cook

Mary Cook

Mary Turner
c.1863 – 24 September 1950
Assistant mistress/school teacher

Married:
8 August 1885
Joseph Cook
Liberal Party of Australia

Children:
6 sons, 3 daughters

Term as prime minister’s wife:
24 June 1913 – 17 September 1914 (1 year, 2 months, 25 days)

‘What a real servant of the Commonwealth she is.’ Newspaper report, 1926

1915

Mary Hughes

Mary Hughes

Mary Ethel Campbell
6 June 1874 – 2 April 1958
Community worker – nurse

Married:
26 June 1911
William Morris Hughes
Australian Labor Party; Nationalist Party from 1917

Children:
1 daughter

Term as prime minister’s wife:
27 October 1915 – 9 February 1923 (7 years, 3 months, 14 days)

‘Her self-sacrifice, fortitude and zeal won her the golden opinions among our soldiers.’ - Newspaper report, 1922

Image: National Library of Australia.

1923

Ethel Bruce

Ethel Bruce

Ethel Dunlop Anderson
25 May 1879 – 16 March 1967

Married:
12 July 1913
Stanley Melbourne Bruce
Nationalist Party

Children:
None

Term as prime minister’s wife:
9 February 1923 – 22 October 1929 (6 years, 8 months, 14 days)

‘As stylish and dignified a figure as [her husband] and fulfilled her official tasks with aplomb’

Image: National Library of Australia.

1929

Sarah Scullin

Sarah Scullin

Sarah Maria McNamara
1882 – 31 May 1962
Dressmaker

Married:
11 November 1907
James Henry Scullin
Australian Labor Party

Children:
None

Term as prime minister’s wife:
22 October 1929 – 6 January 1932 (2 years, 2 months, 16 days)

‘A lover of good music…she preferred a simple, quiet and relatively austere life.’ - The Herald, 1976

Image: Herald Weekly Times.

1932

Enid Lyons

Enid Lyons

Enid Muriel Burnell
July 1897 – 2 September 1981
Trainee school teacher, politician

Married:
28 April 1915
Joseph Aloysius Lyons
United Australia Party

Children:
Six daughters, six sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
6 January 1932 – 7 April 1939 (7 years, 3 months, 2 days)

‘…a dead-on-the-beam quickness of mind, warm appreciation of people……Dame Enid packs a tremendous punch.’ ­The Australian Women’s Weekly, 1951

Image: National Library of Australia.

1939

Ethel Page

Ethel Page

Ethel Esther Blunt
1875 – 26 May 1958
Nursing sister

Married:
18 September 1906
Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page
Australian Country Party

Children:
1 daughter, 4 sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
7 April 1939 – 26 April 1939 (20 days)

‘In every sphere she entered she proved and held her leadership.’ – Earle Page

Image: Australian War Memorial.

1939

Pattie Menzies

Pattie Menzies

Pattie Mae Leckie
2 March 1899 – 30 August 1995
Community worker

Married:
27 September 1920
Robert Gordon Menzies
United Australia Party, Liberal Party – 2nd term

Children:
2 sons, 1 daughter

Term as prime minister’s wife:
26 April 1939 – 29 August 1941
19 December 1949 – 26 January 1966

(Total: 18 years, 5 months, 12 days)

‘She was naturally, intensely loyal, supportive and devoted to her husband and family.’

Image: John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library.

1941

Ilma Fadden

Ilma Fadden

Ilma Nita Thornber
c.1895 – 14 May 1987

Married:
27 Dec 1916 (Mackay)
Arthur William Fadden
Country Party

Children:
2 sons, 2 daughters

Term as prime minister’s wife:
29 Aug 1941 – 7 Oct 1941 (1 mth, 9 days)

‘A vigorous campaign helper…and an active war worker, but her main interest was country women and children’. – The Herald

Image: National Library of Australia.

1941

Elsie Curtin

Elsie Curtin

Elsie Needham
4 Oct 1890 – 24 June 1975
Community worker

Married:
21 April 1917 Perth
John Curtin
Australian Labor Party

Children:
1 son, 1 daughter

Term as prime minister’s wife:
7 Oct 1941 – 5 Jul 1945 (3 yrs, 8 mths, 29 days)

‘She was a very evenly balanced person, always calm, jovial [and] ready for a laugh’. - Elsie Curtin (daughter)

Image: John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library.

1945

Vera Forde

Vera Forde

Veronica (Vera) O’Reilly
1894 – 1967

Married:
5 Feb 1925
Francis Michael Forde
Australian Labor Party

Children:
3 daughters, 1 son

Term as prime minister’s wife:
6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945 (8 days)

‘She was very politically active and committed to helping those around her.’ – Clare Attridge – daughter of Vera Forde.

Image: National Archives of Australia.

1945

Elizabeth Chifley

Elizabeth Chifley

Elizabeth Gibson McKenzie
1886 – 9 Sept 1962

Married:
6 June 1914
Joseph Benedict Chifley
Australian Labor Party

Children:
None

Term as prime minister’s wife:
13 Jul 1945 – 19 Dec 1949 (4 yrs, 5 mths, 7 days)

‘Never the Prime Minister’s Lady, but simply the kind, unassuming woman who lives at 10 Busby Street, Bathurst’. - Newspaper report

1966

Zara Holt

Zara Holt

Zara Kate Fell (nee Dickens) – later Bate
10 March 1909 – 14 June 1989
Businesswoman & community worker

Married:
8 October 1946
Harold Edward Holt
Liberal Party of Australia

Children:
3 sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
26 January 1966 – 19 December 1967 (1 year, 10 months, 23 days)

‘A happy, witty, warm and affectionate lady.’ – Andrew Peacock

Image: National Archives of Australia.

1968

Bettina Gorton

Bettina Gorton

Bettina Brown
1915 – 2 October 1983

Married:
15 February 1935
John Grey Gorton
Liberal Party of Australia

Children:
1 daughter, 2 sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
10 January 1968 – 10 March 1971 (3 years, 2 months)

‘She was intelligent, friendly, gracious and highly respected.’ – Kangaroo Lake resident.

Image: Australian War Memorial.

1971

Sonia McMahon

Sonia McMahon

Sonia Hopkins
1 August 1932 – 2 April 2010
Occupational therapist

Married:
11 December 1965
William McMahon
Liberal Party of Australia

Children:
2 daughters, 1 son

Term as prime minister’s wife:
10 March 1971 – 5 December 1972 (1 year, 8 months, 25 days)

‘Elegance and glamour were her political assets’. – The Herald 1970

1972

Margaret Whitlam

Margaret Whitlam

Margaret Elaine Dovey
19 November 1919 – 17 March 2012
Social worker & writer

Married:
22 April 1942
Edward Gough Whitlam
Australian Labor Party

Children:
3 sons, 1 daughter

Term as prime minister’s wife:
5 December 1972 – 11 November 1975 (2 years, 11 months, 7 days)

‘…a flair for publicity and a forceful, self-confident down-to-earth manner.’ – Newspaper report, 1974.

1975

Tamie Fraser

Tamie Fraser

Tamara Margaret Beggs
28 February 1936 –

Married:
9 December 1956
John Malcolm Fraser
Liberal Party of Australia

Children:
2 sons, 2 daughters

Term as prime minister’s wife:
11 November 1975 – 11 March 1983 (7 years, 4 months)

‘She is relaxed, poised, friendly and committed.’

Image: National Archives of Australia.

1983

Hazel Hawke

Hazel Hawke

Hazel Masterson
20 July 1929 – 23 May 2013

Married:
3 March 1956 (divorced 1995)
Robert James Lee Hawke
Australian Labor Party

Children:
2 daughters, 2 sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
11 March 1983 – 20 December 1991 (8 years, 9 months, 10 days)

‘She has a loud, unaffected laugh and a broad Australian accent…she is a survivor.’ – The Australian, 1987

Image: National Archives of Australia.

1991

Annita Keating

Annita Keating

Annita Johanna Maria van Iersel
5 October 1948 –

Married:
17 January 1975 (separated 1998)
Paul John Keating
Australian Labor Party

Children:
1 son, 3 daughters

Term as prime minister’s wife:
20 December 1991 – 11 March 1996 (4 years, 2 months, 20 days)

‘…a really strong individual who’s got her own mind and does things her way.’ – Nancy Pilcher, 1996.

Image: National Archives of Australia.

1996

Janette Howard

Janette Howard

Janette Parker
11 August 1944 –
Teacher

Married:
4 April 1971
John Winston Howard
Liberal Party of Australia

Children:
1 daughter, 2 sons

Term as prime minister’s wife:
11 March 1996 – 2 December 2007 (11 years, 8 months, 24 days)

‘She [has] a vivacious personality and is highly intelligent.’ – John Howard.

2007

Thérèse Rein

Thérèse Rein

Thérèse Rein
17 July 1958 –
Businesswoman

Married:
14 November 1981
Kevin Michael Rudd
Australian Labor Party

Children:
2 sons, 1 daughter

Term as prime minister’s wife:
3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010 (2 years, 6 months, 23 days)

‘The work Thérèse has done in the community is formidable ... this is a very good person. A very, very good person and one of life’s eternal mysteries is why she ever married me in the first place.’ – Kevin Rudd