Ken Vaughan

Kenneth Hamilton Vaughan (29 October 1934 – 22 June 2011) was an Australian politician.

Ken Vaughan
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Nudgee
In office 12 November 1977 – 15 July 1995
Preceded by	Jack Melloy
Succeeded by	Neil Roberts
Personal details
Born	Kenneth Hamilton Vaughan 29 October 1934 Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Died	22 June 2011 (aged 76) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor
Spouse(s)	Lesley Cowdroy (m.1959)
Occupation	Electrician, Trade union assistant secretary

Vaughan's father Clifford Llewelyn Vaughan, a butcher, died from blood poisoning in 1939 and he was raised by his mother, Ruby Sarah, in Richmond, attending school in Charters Towers. He was sent to Brisbane to live with his aunt in 1950 to begin work as a clerk for Queensland Railways. He concluded his apprenticeship in 1955, but was conscripted for national service in August 1956, serving as an army sergeant at Wacol. In 1958 he was elected shop steward for the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), and in 1959 married Lesley Cowdroy, in which year he also joined the Labor Party.[1]

In 1974 Vaughan contested the Senate unsuccessfully, and was subsequently appointed the ETU's assistant state secretary. In 1977 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the seat of Nudgee.[2] When Labor won office in 1989 under Wayne Goss, Vaughan was appointed Minister for Resource Industries. In 1991 he was appointed Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations, but he retired to the backbench in 1992 and from politics in 1995.[1]

References

1. "OBITUARY: Ken Vaughan". The Courier-Mail. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
2. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.