Ted Baldwin (Queensland politician)

Edgar Allan "Ted" Baldwin (25 September 1922 - 1 January 2008) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.^[1]

Biography

Baldwin was born in Moregatta, in the Tablelands Region of Queensland, the son of Allan Baldwin and his wife Ruby May (née Massey). He was educated at Brisbane State High School before graduating from the University of Queensland in 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education.^[1]

He began his working life as a 12 year old doing a milk run for two years, and the worked as a sand, gravel firewood cutter and carter for another two years. From 1939 he was a factory worker before attending university. After graduating Baldwin was a school teacher until 1959.^[1]

On the 16th June 1943 he married Reeva Clements and together had three sons and a daughter. Baldwin died in January 2008.^[1]

Public career

Baldwin, representing the Labor Party, won the seat of Logan at the 1969 Queensland state election, defeating his main opponent, Dick Wood of the Country Party. He represented the electorate for three years when it was abolished before the 1969 Queensland state election and he moved to the new seat of Redlands which he held until 1974, when he was defeated by the National Party's John Goleby.^[1]

Referred to as "Red Ted" and "leader of the ratbag radical fringe" when he became President of the Teachers Union in 1968, Baldwin's work is considered to having laid the foundations for the modern QTU. He was awarded life membership of the union in 1985. In 2001 he was awarded the Commonwealth Centenary Medal for his services to education.^[1]

References