Harold Edward Holt 5 August β 17 December was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from until his disappearance and presumed death in He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and held various ministerial positions from to in the governments of Robert Menzies and Arthur Fadden.
Holt was born in Sydney and moved to Melbourne in childhood, studying law at the University of Melbourne. Before entering politics he practised law and was a lobbyist for cinema operators. He was first elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 27, becoming a member of parliament MP for the division of Fawkner at a by-election in His tenure in the ministry was interrupted by a brief stint in the Australian Army , which ended when he was recalled to cabinet following the deaths of three ministers in the Canberra air disaster.
The government was defeated in , sending the UAP into opposition, and he joined the new Liberal Party upon its creation in When the Liberals came to office in , Holt became a senior figure in the new government. As Minister for Immigration β , he expanded the post-war immigration scheme and relaxed the White Australia policy for the first time.
He was also influential as Minister for Labour and National Service β , where he handled several industrial relations disputes. Holt was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party in , and after the election replaced Arthur Fadden as Treasurer.
He oversaw the creation of the Reserve Bank of Australia and the decimal Australian dollar , but was blamed for a credit crunch that almost cost the Coalition the election. However, the economy soon rebounded and Holt retained his place as Menzies' heir apparent. Holt became prime minister in January , elected unopposed as Liberal leader following Menzies' retirement.
