Editing Joseph Lyons (section)

===Retirement plans===
[[File:Joseph Lyons seated.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Joseph Lyons]]
It was initially assumed Lyons would be succeeded by his deputy [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]], but Latham left parliament at the 1934 election and the following year was appointed [[Chief Justice of Australia]]. His replacement in the [[Division of Kooyong]] was [[Robert Menzies]], a prominent figure in Victorian politics and an ally of Lyons. In April 1936, Lyons hand-wrote a letter to Menzies endorsing him as his successor.{{efn|Lyons wrote: "The day must come when, in the ordinary course of events, the leadership of the Party will devolve on you. [...] For some time I have felt that the time had come for you to step into my shoes". In the same letter Lyons also referred to the fact that many in the UAP wished him to continue as leader, making no definite promise to retire.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=325}} {{harvp|Henderson|2011}} writes that "it is most unlikely that he ever offered his position directly to Menzies at any point", as he believed it was a decision for the party to make.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=326}}}} For various reasons, Menzies did not enjoy universal support within the UAP, and several other were seen as potential successors to Lyons. Within the parliamentary UAP, [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Richard Casey]], [[Charles Hawker]], [[Billy Hughes]], and [[Archdale Parkhill]] all had supporters.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=319}} There was also support for figures outside parliament, including former prime minister [[Stanley Bruce]] and [[Bertram Stevens (politician)|Bertram Stevens]], premier of New South Wales.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=326}}{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=413}}

By 1938, Lyons was making concrete plans to retire, renovating his house in [[Devonport, Tasmania|Devonport]] and moving his youngest children away from Canberra to attend local schools.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=423}} According to his wife, they discussed his future two weeks before his death and agreed that he would retire as soon as possible. However, UAP officials repeatedly pressured him to stay on until the most suitable successor could be found.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=427}}