Editing Joseph Lyons

{{Short description|Prime Minister of Australia from 1932 to 1939}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name                = Joseph Lyons
| honorific-suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|CH}}
| image               = Joseph Aloysius Lyons (cropped).jpg
| order               = 10th [[Prime Minister of Australia]]
| monarch             = [[George V]] <br /> [[Edward VIII]] <br /> [[George VI]]
| governor-general    = [[Sir Isaac Isaacs]]<br />[[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Lord Gowrie]]
| deputy              = [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]]<br />[[Earle Page]]
| term_start          = 6 January 1932
| term_end            = 7 April 1939
| predecessor         = [[James Scullin]]
| successor           = [[Earle Page]]
| office1             = [[Leader of the Opposition (Australia)|Leader of the Opposition]]
| term_start1         = 7 May 1931
| term_end1           = 6 January 1932
| primeminister1      = [[James Scullin]]
| deputy1             = [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]]
| predecessor1        = [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]]
| successor1          = [[James Scullin]]
| office2             = 26th [[Premier of Tasmania]]
| term_start2         = 25 October 1923
| term_end2           = 15 June 1928
| governor2           = Sir [[James O'Grady]]
| predecessor2        = [[Walter Lee (Australian politician)|Sir Walter Lee]]
| successor2          = [[John McPhee (Australian politician)|Sir John McPhee]]{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Party leadership positions|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}}
| office3             = Leader of the [[United Australia Party]]<br /><small>Elections: [[1931 Australian federal election|1931]], [[1934 Australian federal election|1934]], [[1937 Australian federal election|1937]]</small>
| term_start3         = 7 May 1931
| term_end3           = 7 April 1939
| deputy3             = [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]]<br />[[Robert Menzies]]
| predecessor3        = ''Position Established''
| successor3          = [[Robert Menzies]]
| office4             = Leader of the [[Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)|Labor Party]] in [[Tasmania]]<br /><small>Elections: [[1919 Tasmanian state election|1919]], [[1922 Tasmanian state election|1922]], [[1925 Tasmanian state election|1925]], [[1928 Tasmanian state election|1928]]</small>
| term_start4         = 2 November 1916
| term_end4           = 16 September 1929
| predecessor4        = [[John Earle (Australian politician)|John Earle]]
| successor4          = [[Albert Ogilvie]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}} {{Collapsed infobox section begin|Federal cabinet posts|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}}
| office5             = [[Treasurer of Australia]]
| term_start5         = 6 January 1932
| term_end5           = 2 October 1935
| primeminister5      = ''Himself''
| predecessor5        = [[Ted Theodore]]
| successor5          = [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Richard Casey]]
| office6             = [[Minister for Agriculture (Australia)|Minister for Commerce]]
| term_start6         = 6 January 1932
| term_end6           = 2 October 1935
| primeminister6      = ''Himself''
| predecessor6        = [[Charles Hawker]]
| successor6          = [[Frederick Stewart (Australian politician)|Frederick Stewart]]
| office7             = [[Minister for Communications (Australia)|Postmaster-General]]
| term_start7         = 22 October 1929
| term_end7           = 4 February 1931
| primeminister7      = [[James Scullin]]
| predecessor7        = [[William Gibson (Australian politician)|William Gibson]]
| successor7          = [[Albert Green (Australian politician)|Albert Green]]
| office8             = [[Minister for Works and Railways (Australia)|Minister for Works and Railways]]
| term_start8         = 22 October 1929
| term_end8           = 4 February 1931
| primeminister8      = [[James Scullin]]
| predecessor8        = [[William Gibson (Australian politician)|William Gibson]]
| successor8          = [[Albert Green (Australian politician)|Albert Green]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}} {{Collapsed infobox section begin|State cabinet posts|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}}
| office9             = [[Treasurer of Tasmania]]
| term_start9         = 25 October 1923
| term_end9           = 15 June 1928
| premier9            = ''Himself''
| predecessor9        = [[Walter Lee (Australian politician)|Walter Lee]]
| successor9          = [[John McPhee]]
| term_start10        = 6 April 1914
| term_end10          = 15 April 1916
| premier10           = [[John Earle (Australian politician)|John Earle]]
| predecessor10       = [[Herbert Payne]]
| successor10         = [[Elliott Lewis (politician)|Elliott Lewis]]
| office11            = [[Department of Education (Tasmania)|Minister for Education]]
| term_start11        = 6 April 1914
| term_end11          = 15 April 1916
| premier11           = [[John Earle (Australian politician)|John Earle]]
| predecessor11       = [[Albert Solomon]]
| successor11         = [[Walter Lee (Australian politician)|Walter Lee]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}} {{Collapsed infobox section begin|Constituencies|titlestyle=background-color:#eee}}
| office12            = Member of the [[Australian House of Representatives]]
| constituency12      = [[Division of Wilmot|Wilmot]]
| term_start12        = 12 October 1929
| term_end12          = 7 April 1939
| predecessor12       = [[Llewellyn Atkinson]]
| successor12         = [[Lancelot Spurr]]
| office13            = Member of the [[Tasmanian House of Assembly]]
| constituency13      = [[Division of Lyons (state)|Wilmot]]
| parliament13        = Tasmanian
| term_start13        = 30 April 1909
| term_end13          = 13 September 1929<!--
|alongside13        = [[Walter Lee (Australian politician)|Walter Lee]]; [[John Hope (Australian politician)|John Hope]]; [[Richard Field (politician)|Richard Field]]; [[Jonathan Best]]; [[Jens Jensen (politician)|Jens Jensen]]; [[Herbert Hays]]; [[Michael O'Keefe (Tasmania politician)|Michael O'Keefe]]; [[Norman Cameron (politician)|Norman Cameron]]; [[Edward Mulcahy (Australian politician)|Edward Mulcahy]]; [[Neil Campbell (politician)|Neil Campbell]]; [[John Palamountain]]; [[Ernest Blyth]]; [[William Connell (Australian politician)|William Connell]]; [[Eric Ogilvie]]; [[George Pullen]]; [[Albert Bendall]]; [[Percy Best]]-->
| predecessor15       = ''New division''
| successor15         = [[William Shoobridge]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
| birth_name          = Joseph Aloysius Lyons
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=yes|1879|9|15}}
| birth_place         = [[Stanley, Tasmania|Stanley]], [[Colony of Tasmania]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1939|4|7|1879|9|15|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], Australia
| resting_place       = [[Mersey Vale Memorial Park]], [[Quoiba, Tasmania|Quoiba]]
| death_cause         = Heart attack
| party               = [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] (to 1931)<br />[[Independent politician|Independent]] (1931)<br />[[United Australia Party|UAP]] (after 1931)
| education           = Hobart Teachers' College
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Enid Lyons|Enid Burnell]]|1917}}
| children            = 12; including [[Kevin Lyons|Kevin]] and [[Brendan Lyons|Brendan]]
| relations           = [[Libby Lyons]] (granddaughter)<br />[[Kevin Lyons (judge)|Kevin Lyons Jr.]] (grandson)
| occupation          = Schoolteacher
| caption             = Official portrait {{ca.}} 1932
}}

'''Joseph Aloysius Lyons''' (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the tenth [[prime minister of Australia]], from 1932 until his death in 1939. He held office as the inaugural leader of the [[United Australia Party]] (UAP), having previously led the [[Tasmanian Labor Party|Tasmanian branch]] of the [[Australian Labor Party]] (ALP) before the [[Australian Labor Party split of 1931]]. He served as the 26th [[premier of Tasmania]] from 1923 to 1928.

Lyons was born in [[Stanley, Tasmania|Stanley]], [[Tasmania]], and before entering politics worked as a schoolteacher. He was active in the Labor Party from a young age and won election to the [[Tasmanian House of Assembly]] in 1909. He was [[Treasurer of Tasmania]] (1914–1916) under [[John Earle (Australian politician)|John Earle]], before replacing Earle as party leader in 1916. After two elections that ended in hung parliaments, Lyons was appointed premier in 1923 at the head of a [[minority government]]. He pursued moderate reforms and successfully negotiated a constitutional crisis over the powers of the [[Tasmanian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]. At the [[1925 Tasmanian state election|1925 election]] he led Labor to its first majority government in Tasmania, but the party lost office three years later.

In 1929, Lyons resigned from state parliament to enter federal politics, winning the seat of [[Division of Wilmot|Wilmot]] in Labor's landslide victory at the [[1929 Australian federal election|1929 election]]. He was immediately appointed to cabinet by the new prime minister [[James Scullin]], becoming [[Postmaster-General of Australia]] and [[Minister for Works and Railways (Australia)|Minister for Works and Railways]]. In 1930, he was acting treasurer while Scullin was overseas, and came into conflict with the [[Australian Labor Party Caucus|Labor caucus]] over the government's response to the [[Great Depression in Australia|Great Depression]]; he preferred orthodox financial policies. In early 1931, Lyons and his followers left Labor to sit as independents. His exact motivations for leaving the party have been subject to debate. A few months later his group merged with other opposition parties to form the United Australia Party; he was elected [[Leader of the Opposition (Australia)|Leader of the Opposition]].

Lyons led the UAP to a landslide victory at the [[1931 Australian federal election|1931 election]]. Nicknamed "Honest Joe", he was known as a masterful political campaigner and became popular with the general public. His personal popularity was a major factor in the government's re-election in [[1934 Australian federal election|1934]] and [[1937 Australian federal election|1937]]; he was the first prime minister to win three federal elections. The UAP initially governed alone but after 1934 formed a coalition with the [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]]. Lyons was his own [[Treasurer of Australia|treasurer]] until 1935 and oversaw Australia's recovery from the Great Depression. He faced a number of foreign-policy challenges, but accelerated Australia's transition towards an independent foreign policy. In the lead-up to World War II his government pursued a policy of appeasement and rearmament.

Lyons died of a heart attack in April 1939, becoming the first Australian prime minister to die in office. He is the only prime minister from Tasmania and one of two state premiers who have become prime minister, along with [[George Reid]]. Several years after his death, his widow [[Enid Lyons]] became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives.

==Early life==
[[File:Joseph Lyons birthplace.jpg|thumb|left|Lyons in 1935 standing outside his birthplace and childhood home in Stanley, Tasmania]]

===Birth and family background===
Lyons was born in [[Stanley, Tasmania]], on 15 September 1879. He was the fifth of eight children born to Ellen (née Carroll) and Michael Henry Lyons, both of Irish descent.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=11}} His mother was born in [[County Kildare]] and arrived in Australia in 1857, aged eleven,{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=13}} while his father was born in Tasmania to immigrants from [[County Galway]].{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=14}} Lyons was the first prime minister to have an Australian-born parent.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=11}} His paternal grandfather, Michael Lyons Sr., had arrived in Tasmania in 1843 with his wife and an infant daughter. Initially an [[indentured servant|indentured labourer]], he became a [[tenant farmer]] after completing his term of service,{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=14}} and eventually saved enough to purchase land at Stanley, on the [[North West Tasmania|north-west coast]]. He had a reputation as a shrewd businessman, frequently buying and selling tracts of land and also dabbling in the hotel trade for a period.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=15}} His sons followed him into farming, and the Lyons family was prominent in the small local community.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=16}}

===Childhood===
When Lyons was four years old, his father moved the family from Stanley to [[Ulverstone, Tasmania|Ulverstone]], where he opened a combined bakery and butcher's shop.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=18}} In 1887, he lost the family's savings betting on the [[Melbourne Cup]], driving them into poverty.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=21}} He had to sell the shop and resort to working as an unskilled labourer; his oldest children took part-time jobs to support the family. Lyons began working at the age of nine, as a printer's messenger boy. By the age of twelve, he was "cutting scrub" (clearing land) for local farmers.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=22}} Lyons had begun his education at the Ulverstone State School in 1885, before switching to the local Catholic school in 1887.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=19}} His early years of schooling were interrupted by his family's financial difficulties, and his attendance was sometimes irregular, though this was not uncommon in small rural schools at the time. In 1891, he moved back to Stanley to live with his aunts, Etty and Mary Carroll, and was enrolled at the Stanley State School.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=22}}

===Teaching career===
In 1895, aged fifteen, Lyons began working as a [[pupil-teacher]] under the [[monitorial system]]. This allowed him to continue his own education while being paid to teach younger students, and eventually qualify as a full-time teacher himself.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=25}} Apart from a three-month stint as a relief teacher at [[Irishtown, Tasmania|Irishtown]], he remained at Stanley until early 1901, when he was given charge of two small "half-time" schools on the east coast, Apslawn and Apsley Meadows.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=30}} During that period, he lived at "Apsley House", the family estate of Sir [[William Lyne]], [[Premier of New South Wales]]. In March 1902, Lyons transferred to the Midlands, taking charge of the schools at [[Conara, Tasmania|Conara]] and [[Llewellyn, Tasmania|Llewellyn]].{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=43}} He was transferred again in July 1905 to [[Tullah, Tasmania|Tullah]], then a few months later to [[Smithton, Tasmania|Smithton]],{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=44}} and then in April 1906 to [[Pioneer, Tasmania|Pioneer]].{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=46}} In 1907, Lyons moved to [[Hobart]] to attend the newly opened Hobart Teachers' College for a year.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=47}}<ref>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30088720 Prime Minister in Premiership Football Team 28 Years Ago, ''The Mercury'', (Thursday, 30 May 1935), p.16.]</ref> He was then posted to [[Launceston, Tasmania|Launceston]], teaching at the Glen Dhu and Wellington Square State Schools, as well as briefly acting as headmaster at [[Perth, Tasmania|Perth]].{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=50}} He came into conflict with the [[Department of Education (Tasmania)|Department of Education]] on a number of occasions, often complaining about poor working conditions. His superiors also disapproved of his political activities, which together with his complaints probably contributed to his frequent transfers and failure to win desirable postings.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=51}}

==State politics==
[[File:Joseph Lyons - Minister for Railways.jpg|thumb|upright|Lyons as a state government minister (c. 1914–16)]]
Lyons came from a family that was broadly sympathetic to the [[Australian labour movement]], but without any formal political involvement. Though widely read, he did not actively participate in politics until after leaving Stanley. Lyons helped found a branch of the [[Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)|Workers' Political League]] during his time in Smithton, but was forced to resign his membership due to restrictions on the involvement of public servants in political activities.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=45}} Those rules were later relaxed, and by 1908 he was spending most of his free time campaigning for the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]];{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=54}} he had a reputation as a first-rate orator.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=51}} Lyons was elected to the [[Tasmanian House of Assembly]] at the [[1909 Tasmanian state election|1909 state election]], standing in the six-member [[Division of Wilmot (state)|Division of Wilmot]].{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=64}} This required him to resign from the Education Department and give up his teaching career, which reduced his annual salary from £125 to £100.{{Efn|Tasmanian MPs did not get a pay rise until 1913, when their salary doubled to £200. Lyons was among those who argued for the amount to be increased, on the grounds that their remuneration was insufficient to cover the larger electorates introduced in 1909.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=59}}}} He was comfortably re-elected [[1912 Tasmanian state election|in 1912]], although he was attacked with a horsewhip during one of his campaign speeches. The son of one of his political opponents was convicted of assault, and the incident received widespread media attention.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|pp=75–76}}

Labor came to power in Tasmania in 1914, after the existing [[Tasmanian Liberal League|Liberal]] government of [[Albert Solomon]] was defeated on a [[confidence motion]]. The new premier was [[John Earle (Australian politician)|John Earle]], who had previously held office for one week in October 1909.<ref>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last= Lake|first= Marilyn|volume=8|year=1981|id2=earle-john-6077|title= Earle, John (1865–1932)}}</ref> In the new government, Lyons was made [[Treasurer of Tasmania|Treasurer]], Minister for Education, and Minister for Railways; it was common for ministers to hold more than one portfolio.<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last1= Hart|first1= P. R. |last2=Lloyd|first2=C. J. |year=1986|id2=lyons-joseph-aloysius-joe-7278|title= Lyons, Joseph Aloysius (1879–1939)   |access-date=13 January 2008 }}</ref> He was somewhat inexperienced with economic matters, and often turned to his friend and colleague [[Lyndhurst Giblin]] for advice; they eventually renewed their relationship at federal level during the 1930s.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=101}} Less than a month after taking office, Lyons announced that the government was moving its accounts from the [[Commercial Bank of Tasmania]] to the [[Commonwealth Bank]], which had only been established a few years earlier. In return he was able to secure a substantial loan and an [[overdraft]] of £100,000. The government faced a number of challenges during its two years in office, including a statewide drought, a series of [[bushfires in Australia|bushfires]] in early 1915, and labour shortages due to the ongoing war.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=99}} As Labor was in [[minority government|minority]], many of its legislative initiatives were thwarted by the opposition.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=103}} The party lost the [[1916 Tasmanian state election|1916 state election]] by two seats, despite increasing its share of the vote.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=104}}

[[File:Joseph Lyons - Reynolds.jpg|thumb|upright|Caricature of Lyons as premier]]

When the ALP split over conscription during the First World War in 1916, Earle, a pro-conscriptionist, followed Prime Minister [[Billy Hughes]] out of the Labor party. Like most Australians of Irish Catholic background, Lyons was an anti-conscriptionist and stayed in the Labor Party, becoming its new leader in Tasmania.<ref name=adb/>

===Premier of Tasmania===
Lyons led the Labor opposition in the Tasmanian Parliament until 1923 when he became [[Premier of Tasmania]], leading a minority ALP government. He held office until 1928, also serving as Treasurer during the whole period of his premiership. Lyons's government was cautious and pragmatic, establishing good relations with business and the conservative government in Canberra, but attracting some criticism from unionists within his own party. Labor narrowly lost the 1928 state election to the [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]].<ref name=dab>{{cite web |first=Percival |last=Serle |title =Lyons, Joseph Aloysius (1879–1939) |publisher =[[Project Gutenberg Australia]] |work=[[Dictionary of Australian Biography]] |url =http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks15/1500721h/0-dict-biogL.html#lyons1 |access-date = 13 January 2008}}</ref><ref name=adb/>

As premier, Lyons faced a [[constitutional crisis]] relating to the powers of the [[Tasmanian Legislative Council]] (the parliament's upper house). The Legislative Council had a limited franchise and was occupied mostly by conservative landowners, and was consequently opposed to much of the government's platform. Historically, it had claimed for itself the power to amend [[money bill]]s, despite having no express constitutional authority to do so. In November 1924, the council returned the government's budget to the Legislative Assembly with a series of proposed reductions in spending. Lyons chose to ignore the amendments, instead sending the bill directly to the Administrator, [[Herbert Nicholls]], who approved it. In 1926, the government amended the state constitution to codify the Legislative Council's powers over money bills, bringing them into line with the other states.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|pp=159–163}}

On 15 July 1926, Lyons suffered severe leg injuries when his car—driven by a chauffeur—collided with a goods train near [[Perth, Tasmania|Perth]]. He came close to death, and stood down from public duties for four months to recover; [[Allan Guy]] was acting premier in his absence. [[Michael O'Keefe (Tasmanian politician)|Michael O'Keefe]], the [[Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly]], was also a passenger in the car, and lingered for several months before dying of his injuries.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=177}}

==Federal politics==
At the [[1929 Australian federal election]] Lyons ran for the federal seat of [[Division of Wilmot|Wilmot]], covering the same territory as his state seat. He was swept into office in Labor's landslide victory under [[James Scullin]]. He was appointed [[Postmaster-General of Australia|Postmaster-General]] and [[Minister for Works and Railways (Australia)|Minister for Works and Railways]].<ref name=naab>{{cite web|title=Joseph Lyons, before|work=Australia's Prime Ministers|publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]]|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/before-office.aspx|access-date=13 January 2008|archive-date=20 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320053310/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/before-office.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When the [[Great Depression]] struck in 1930, the Scullin government split over its response. Lyons became the leading advocate within the government of orthodox finance and deflationary economic policies, and an opponent of the inflationary, proto-[[Keynesian economics|Keynesian]] policies of Treasurer [[Ted Theodore]]. Theodore was forced to resign over accusations of corruption in June 1930, and Scullin took over the Treasury portfolio in addition to the Prime Ministership. Lyons was acting Treasurer from August 1930 to January 1931, whilst Scullin was in Britain for the [[Imperial Conference]]. Lyons announced his plan for recovery in October 1930, insisting on the need to maintain a balanced budget and cut public spending and salaries, although also advising lower interest rates and the provision of greater credit for industry.<ref name=adb/>

His conservative economic approach won him support among business, but angered many in the Labor caucus, who wanted to expand the deficit to stimulate the economy, and were horrified at the prospect of cuts in salaries and government spending. Alienated by their attacks, Lyons began to consider suggestions from a group of his new business supporters, including influential members of the Melbourne Establishment, that he leave the government to take over the leadership of the conservative opposition.<ref name=adb/><ref name=naab/>

==Resignation from the Labor Party==
{{Further|Australian Labor Party split of 1931}}
[[File:Joseph Lyons and John Latham.jpg|thumb|upright|Lyons with [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]], the deputy UAP leader]]
When Scullin returned in January 1931, he reappointed Theodore (as it had become clear Theodore would not be charged with corruption) to the Cabinet as Treasurer, which Lyons took as a rejection of his own policies. Lyons immediately resigned from the Cabinet, and then in mid–March from the Labor Party.<ref>[http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/L/Joseph%20Lyons.htm The Companion to Tasmanian History: Joseph Lyons]. ''[[University of Tasmania]]''. Retrieved 20 June 2018</ref> Accompanied by another senior minister in the Scullin government, [[James Fenton (Australian politician)|James Fenton]], and four other right-wing Labor MPs, he crossed the floor to sit on the opposition benches. Soon afterward, Lyons and his supporters joined with the opposition [[Nationalist Party of Australia|Nationalist Party]] and the [[Australian Party]], a small party led by Billy Hughes, to form a new party, the [[United Australia Party]] (UAP).<ref name=adb/><ref name=naab/>

Although the UAP was essentially an enlarged Nationalist Party, Lyons was chosen as leader of the party. He thus became [[List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition|Leader of the Opposition]], with former Nationalist leader [[John Latham (jurist)|John Latham]] as his deputy. The UAP realised that Lyons, an affable family man with the common touch, was a far more electorally appealing figure than the aloof Latham. Additionally, his Labor background and his Catholicism would allow him to win traditional Labor constituencies (working-class voters and [[Irish Catholics]]) over to what was essentially an upper- and middle-class conservative party.<ref name=hart>{{cite journal|title=Lyons: Labor Minister—Leader of the U.A.P.|first=Philip R.|last=Hart|journal=Labour History|volume=17|year=1969|issue=17|pages=37–51|doi=10.2307/27507952|jstor=27507952}}</ref>

In March, at about the same time as Lyons led his group of defectors from the right of the Labor Party across the floor, five left-wing NSW Labor MPs, supporters of [[New South Wales]] Premier [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]], also split from the official Labor Party over the government's economic policies (for Lyons official Labor had been too radical, for the Langites they were not radical enough), forming a "Lang Labor" group on the cross-benches and costing the government its majority in the House of Representatives. Late in the year, the Langite MPs supported a UAP [[motion of no confidence]] and brought the government down, forcing an early election.<ref name=naab/>

==Prime minister==
[[File:Joseph Lyons, 1936 (William McInnes).png|thumb|upright|[[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] portrait of Lyons by [[William Beckwith McInnes]], 1936]]
{{Further|Lyons government}}

===Elections and government formation===
At the [[1931 Australian federal election|1931 election]] Lyons and the UAP offered stable, orthodox financial policies in response to what they branded as Scullin's poor stewardship of the economy. While Labor remained split between the official party and the Langites, the UAP projected an image of putting national unity above class conflict.  The result was a huge victory for the UAP, which took 34 seats against 18 seats for the two wings of the Labor Party combined.<ref name=elections>{{cite news|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/elections.aspx|title=Australia's PMs > Joseph Lyons > Elections|publisher=National Archives of Australia|access-date=29 March 2019|archive-date=11 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311155238/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/elections.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the outset, the UAP did not renew the traditional [[Coalition (Australia)|non-Labor Coalition]] with the [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]], then led by Sir [[Earle Page]]. While the two parties ran separate House campaigns, they presented a joint ticket for the Senate. The massive swing to the UAP left it only four seats short of a majority in its own right. The five MPs elected for the [[Emergency Committee of South Australia]], which stood for the UAP and Country Party in South Australia, joined the UAP party room, giving the UAP a bare majority of two seats. While Lyons was still willing to take the Country Party into his government (which would have commanded over 70 percent of the seats), negotiations stalled, and Lyons decided to govern alone.<ref>[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/page-sir-earle-christmas-7941 Page, Sir Earle Christmas (1880–1961)], ''[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]]''</ref> The new government was sworn in January 1932. Lyons became the third former federal or state Labor leader (after Hughes and [[Joseph Cook]]) to become a non-Labor Prime Minister.

After the UAP suffered an eight-seat swing in the [[1934 Australian federal election|1934 election]], Lyons was forced to invite the Country Party into his government in a full coalition, with Earle Page as Deputy Prime Minister. The government won a third term at the [[1937 Australian federal election|1937 election]], with 44 of 74 seats and 50.6 percent of the [[two-party-preferred vote]] against a reunited Labor Party led by [[John Curtin]].<ref name=elections/>

While campaigning, Lyons made extensive use of the new technologies of radio, film, and air travel.{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=91}} He held frequent press conferences and personally briefed journalists, editors, and newspaper proprietors to gain favourable publicity.<ref name=adb/>

===Domestic policy===
[[File:Joseph Lyons studio portrait.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Undated photograph of Lyons as prime minister]]
Lyons adhered to the principles of "sound finance", opposing inflation and government debt and stressing the importance of balanced budgets and orderly loan repayments.<ref name=adb/>{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=316}} Although he had been state treasurer for seven years, he portrayed himself as a relative outsider to economic policy who would take the advice of experts. Lyons appointed himself [[Treasurer of Australia]], the first non-Labor prime minister to do so and the first incoming prime minister to do so since [[Andrew Fisher]] in 1914. He had earlier offered the treasurership to [[Ben Chifley]] as an inducement to leave the Labor Party, but Chifley declined.{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=91}} He appointed experienced assistant treasurers, initially [[Stanley Bruce]] and later [[Walter Massy-Greene]] and [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Richard Casey]], who eventually succeeded as Treasurer in 1935.{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=92}}

The Lyons government's plan for recovery was a reprise of the [[Premiers' Plan]] which had split the Labor Party. It called for devaluation of the [[Australian pound]], cuts to public servants' wages, reductions in tariffs, reductions in budget deficits, and greater spending on work-relief programmes.{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=93}} Lyons's first budget in 1932 restricted maternity allowances, cut pensions, and cut public servants' wages. His second budget reversed wage cuts and offered tax cuts, which were followed by further tax cuts in the 1934 budget.{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=94}} By some measures Australia recovered from the Great Depression more rapidly than other similar countries, but the effect of the government's policies have been subject to debate, with some arguing they either slowed or had little effect on Australia's recovery.{{efn|The unemployment rate in Australia fell from 29 percent in 1932 to 16 percent in 1935 and 9 percent in 1937. In the U.S., the figure was 21 percent in 1935 and 17 percent in 1937. Between 1929 and 1940, Australian real GDP grew by 16.6 percent, compared with 1.6 percent in the U.S. and 24.6 percent in the United Kingdom.<ref name=henderson2012>{{cite news|first=Anne|last=Henderson|author-link=Anne Henderson (author)|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/pops/~/media/5FC7932E125B49788B5C036EF4876C2D.ashx|title=Joseph Lyons—Australia's Depression Prime Minister|year=2012|journal=Papers on Parliament|issue=58|publisher=Australian Parliamentary Library}}</ref> According to {{harvp|Hawkins|2010}}, "arguably Australia was the first country to emerge from the depression, and Roosevelt asked Lyons how it was done".{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=94}} Carl Boris Schedvin, author of ''Australia and the Great Depression'' (1970), considered Lyons an inconsequential figure regardless of policy outcomes, describing him as "an unexceptional treasurer. He possessed what in polite circles was described as a 'good grasp' of financial matters and an ability to present a difficult argument cogently, but he lacked [[Ted Theodore|Theodore]]'s incisive clarity. His thinking on financial and economic matters was barren of originality and there is almost nothing one can point to in the Lyons period in the form of new or improved organisation for the administration of the economy."{{sfn|Hawkins|2010|p=92}}}}

In April 1933, Western Australia [[1933 Western Australian secession referendum|voted overwhelmingly]] to secede from the rest of the country. Lyons spent two weeks campaigning for the "No" vote with [[George Pearce]] and [[Tom Brennan (politician)|Tom Brennan]]. The state's isolation at the time was such that he had to appoint John Latham as [[acting prime minister]] for the duration of the trip. Despite the result of vote, the federal government viewed secession as unconstitutional and refused to allow Western Australia to leave the federation. The state's appeal to the British government to intervene was also unsuccessful.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|pp=343–344}} In July 1933, Lyons established the [[Commonwealth Grants Commission]] to provide impartial advice about the distribution of federal government grants to the states; it remains in existence.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=329}}

Other legislative accomplishments of the Lyons government include the creation of the [[Australian Broadcasting Commission]] (ABC) in 1932 and the ''[[Income Tax Assessment Act 1936]]''. The government's [[National Insurance (Australia)|landmark national insurance scheme]] proved politically controversial and was never enacted. Political controversies included the [[Attempted exclusion of Egon Kisch from Australia|Egon Kisch affair of 1934]] and the [[Dalfram dispute of 1938]]. In 1937, [[1937 Australian referendum|two simultaneous referendums]] were held, relating to aviation and the marketing of agricultural products; both failed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nma.gov.au/explore/features/prime-ministers/joseph-lyons|title=Joseph Lyons|publisher=National Museum of Australia|access-date=27 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/timeline/results.aspx?type=pm&pm=Joseph%20Lyons|title=Timeline: Joseph Lyons|publisher=National Archives of Australia|access-date=27 November 2018}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
[[File:National Defence Council 1938.tif|thumb|right|Lyons with the National Defence Council in 1938]]
Lyons had no previous experience in international relations or diplomacy, but as prime minister took a keen interest in foreign relations and exerted significant influence over the government's foreign policy.{{sfn|Bird|2008|p=23}} His government pursued what has been called a policy of "appeasement and rearmament". Increases in Australia's defence budget in the years before World War II made him "the greatest peace-time rearmer in Australian history", and saw the military rebuilt after severe funding cuts during the Great Depression.{{sfn|Bird|2008|p=31}} Lyons had pacifist leanings and was keen to avoid a repeat of the First World War. These were rooted in his religious convictions, but also influenced by visits to the battlefields of Europe in which he viewed the graves of Australian soldiers. The appeasement aspect of his foreign policy was primarily directed at Italy and Japan, as it was likely that war between those countries and other major powers would affect the important trade routes in the Mediterranean and the Pacific upon which Australia relied. He was particularly concerned with [[Italy–United Kingdom relations|Anglo-Italian]] and [[Japan–United Kingdom relations|Anglo-Japanese relations]], where his goal was to "influence British policy in a manner conducive to Australian interests".{{sfn|Bird|2008|p=26}}

According to David Bird, whose book ''The Tame Tasmanian'' examined the Lyons government's foreign policy, there was a growing realisation in the 1930s that Australian interests would not be aligned with British interests in all cases. In order to differentiate the two, Lyons authorised three "Pacific initiatives". The first was the [[Australian Eastern Mission]] of 1934 led by Deputy Prime Minister [[John Latham (judge)|John Latham]], which visited seven Asian countries. The second was the 1935 appointment of Australian government representatives in China, the Dutch East Indies, Japan, and United States – albeit below the rank of ambassador – where previously Australia's interests had been represented solely by British officials. The third was Lyons's "Pacific Pact" proposal, which envisioned a [[non-aggression pact]] between the major powers in the Pacific. Although he championed the pact at the [[1937 Imperial Conference]], discussions failed to progress.{{sfn|Bird|2008|p=25}} In Bird's opinion, "the Lyons years should thus be seen as a part of the evolution of Australian external policy from dependency towards autonomy […] it is perhaps the continuation and acceleration of the process of transition for which Lyons as Prime Minister ought to be best remembered".{{sfn|Bird|2008|p=336}}

{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXJ164Jhjfg Newsreel footage of Joseph Lyons visiting England for the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935], from [[Pathé News]]}}
Lyons was prime minister during the [[Edward VIII abdication crisis]] of 1936. He and the other Dominion leaders were only officially informed of the king's intention to abdicate a few weeks before it occurred, although he had found out about the situation earlier through unofficial channels. Lyons strongly opposed the proposed marriage to [[Wallis Simpson]], a view shared by his cabinet; it is unclear if he was initially aware how deep the king's feelings were. He later telegraphed the king asking him not to abdicate, and after the event gave a speech in parliament announcing his regret at the king's decision.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|pp=383–388}} Lyons is the only Australian prime minister to have held office during the reigns of three monarchs, and the only prime minister to serve throughout a monarch's entire reign.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/timeline/results.aspx|title=Timeline|work=Australia's Prime Ministers|publisher=National Archives of Australia|access-date=6 April 2019|archive-date=4 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804142705/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/timeline/results.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===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}}

==Death==
{{multiple image
|direction=vertical
|image1= Joseph Lyons lying in state.jpg
|image2= Joseph Lyons procession 02.jpg
|image3= Joseph Lyons procession 03.jpg
|caption3 = (1) Lying in state at [[St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney]]<br />(2) Funeral procession <br />(3) Coffin being loaded onto [[HMAS Vendetta (D69)|HMAS ''Vendetta'']] for transport to Tasmania
}}
On 5 April 1939, Lyons suffered a heart attack while being driven from Melbourne to Sydney. It occurred shortly after he had stopped in at [[Goulburn, New South Wales|Goulburn]] to collect his son [[Kevin Lyons|Kevin]] from [[St Patrick's College, Goulburn|St Patrick's College]] for the Easter holidays. Lyons was rushed to [[St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney|St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst]], in a critical condition.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=428}} By the following day, he was unable to speak and was drifting in and out of consciousness. He soon fell into a coma, and died on the morning of 7 April, which was [[Good Friday]].{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=429}} Lyons's body lay in state at [[St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney|St Mary's Cathedral]] until 10 April ([[Easter Monday]]). A [[requiem]] service was held the following day, and then a procession bearing his coffin proceeded from the cathedral to [[Circular Quay]]. Lyons's body was transported to his home town of Devonport aboard [[HMAS Vendetta (D69)|HMAS ''Vendetta'']]. His funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes on 13 April, and he was buried in the church grounds. He was re-interred in the new [[Mersey Vale Memorial Park]] in 1969, where he was joined by his wife in 1981.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=430}}

Lyons was the first Australian prime minister to die in office. There was no constitutional precedent as to who should be appointed as his successor, and the situation was further complicated by the UAP's lack of a deputy leader. When the seriousness of Lyons's condition became apparent, [[Earle Page]]—the leader of the [[National Party of Australia|Country Party]] and ''de facto'' [[Deputy Prime Minister of Australia|deputy prime minister]]—called a cabinet meeting, where it was agreed that he should serve as prime minister on an interim basis while the UAP elected a new leader. He was sworn in by Governor-General [[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Lord Gowrie]] a few hours after Lyons's death. The [[1939 United Australia Party leadership election]] was held on 18 April and won by Robert Menzies, who replaced Page as prime minister on 26 April. According to [[Laurie Fitzhardinge]], Lyons's death "removed the only force that had held in check the smouldering animosities and barely suppressed rivalries which divided [the UAP's] members".<ref>{{cite book|first=Laurie|last=Fitzhardinge|title=William Morris Hughes: A Political Biography / Vol. II: The Little Digger, 1914–1952|year=1979|publisher=Angus & Robertson Publishers|pages=650–651}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Lyonsfamily.jpg|thumb|left|The Lyons family in the 1930s on the lawn of [[The Lodge (Australia)|The Lodge]]]]
On 28 April 1915, Lyons married [[Enid Lyons|Enid Burnell]], the daughter of a family friend; she was almost 18 years his junior.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=95}} He had begun courting her in 1912, when she was 15.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=85}} The couple had twelve children together:
# Gerald Desmond (1916–2000)
# Sheila Mary Norma (1918–2000)
# Enid Veronica (1919–1988) – married army officer [[Maurice Austin]]
# Kathleen Patricia (1920–2012)
# Moira Rose (1922–1991)
# [[Kevin Lyons|Kevin Orchard]] (1923–2000)
# Garnet Philip Burnell (1924–1925)
# [[Brendan Lyons|Brendan Aloysius]] (1927–2010)
# Barry Joseph (1928–2015)
# Rosemary Josephine (1929–1999)
# Peter Julian (1931–2021)
# Janice Mary (1933–2020)

Several years after Lyons's death, his widow Enid also embarked on a political career, becoming the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and serving in cabinet in the post-war [[Menzies Government (1949–66)|Menzies Government]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/spouse.aspx|title=Australia's PMs > Joseph Lyons > Enid Lyons|publisher=National Archives of Australia|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408175445/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/spouse.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their sons Kevin and Brendan entered Tasmanian politics, becoming state government ministers several decades after their father's death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1516/ParlRel|title= Parliamentary relations: political families in the Commonwealth Parliament|publisher=Parliament of Australia|date=9 November 2015|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref> Their grandchildren include [[Libby Lyons]], director of the [[Workplace Gender Equality Agency]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nowtolove.com.au/women-of-the-future/the-weekly/libby-lyons-reducing-the-gender-pay-gap-48661|title= Libby Lyons: 'Reducing the gender pay gap will transform our work and family lives'|magazine=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]]|date=23 May 2018|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref> and [[Kevin Lyons (judge)|Kevin Lyons Jr.]], who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vicbar.com.au/news-events/appointment-kevin-lyons-qc|title=Appointment – Kevin Lyons QC|date=22 May 2018|access-date=31 January 2019|publisher=Victorian Bar}}</ref>

Before his marriage, Lyons had briefly been engaged to Pearl "Pib" Bailey, whom he met while teaching at [[Conara, Tasmania|Conara]] in about 1902. He broke off their relationship for reasons unknown, but they remained firm friends; Bailey never married and kept the love letters they exchanged for the rest of her life.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|pp=35–41}}

In 2018, a Jim Starkey who is married to Wendy Starkey, a great-granddaughter of another former prime minister Billy Hughes, claimed to be the great-grandson of Lyons.<ref name="pmd">{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/prime-ministers-descendants-descend-on-canberra-20180606-p4zjtu.html |title=Prime ministers' descendants descend on Canberra |last=Brown |first=Andrew |date=9 June 2018 |website=smh.com.au |publisher=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=27 October 2021 }}</ref>

However, Starkey's claim of familial relations with Lyons has been disputed by the Lyons family and Lyons biographer Anne Henderson.<ref name="jlb">{{cite web |url=https://www.examiner.com.au/story/6105550/joseph-lyons-biographer-rubbishes-state-uap-candidates-ancestry-claim/ |title=Joseph Lyons biographer rubbishes state United Australia Party candidate Jim Starkey's ancestry claim |last=Inglis|first=Rob |date=3 May 2019 |website=The Examiner |publisher=Australian Community Media |access-date=27 October 2021 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:EnidJoseph.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Enid and Joseph Lyons]]
Lyons was one of the most genuinely popular men to hold the office of prime minister, and his death caused widespread grief.<ref name=naaio>{{cite web |title=Joseph Lyons, in office |work=Australia's Prime Ministers |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/in-office.aspx |access-date=13 January 2008 |archive-date=26 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926155621/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/lyons/in-office.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> His genial, laid-back appearance often led to his portrayal in cartoons as a sleepy [[koala]].<ref name=adb/> A devout Catholic, he was the second Catholic to become prime minister, after his immediate predecessor Scullin, and the only non-Labor Catholic prime minister until [[Tony Abbott]].

Lyons is the only person in Australian history to have been prime minister, [[Premiers of the Australian states|premier]] of a state, treasurer and [[List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition|leader of the opposition]] in both the Federal Parliament and a state parliament (although [[George Reid]] had been premier of a colony before Federation). Lyons is also the only prime minister to have come from Tasmania. At the time of his death, he was the second-longest serving prime minister in Australia's history, behind only Hughes.

==Honours==
[[File:Joseph Lyons bust.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Bust of Joseph Lyons by sculptor Wallace Anderson located in the [[Prime Ministers Avenue]] in the [[Ballarat Botanical Gardens]]]]
Lyons was appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] in June 1932, a traditional honour for Australian prime ministers.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33834 |date=10 June 1932 |page=3766 }}</ref> He was formally sworn of the council when he visited London in March 1935.{{sfn|Henderson|2011|p=381}} In the [[1936 Birthday Honours]], he was appointed as a [[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]] (CH), one of only four such appointments made by [[Edward VIII]] before his abdication.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1065987|title= Mr Joseph Aloysius LYONS|work=It's An Honour|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>

After Lyons's death, the Canberra suburb of [[Lyons, Australian Capital Territory|Lyons]] was named in his honour, located in the [[Woden Valley]] adjacent to [[Curtin, Australian Capital Territory|Curtin]] and [[Chifley, Australian Capital Territory|Chifley]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137007984|title=Two areas of Woden Valley|newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=12 January 1980}}</ref> In 1975 he was honoured on a postage stamp bearing his portrait issued by [[Australia Post]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.australianstamp.com/images/large/0011130.jpg|title=Australian stamp}}</ref> His old seat of Wilmot was renamed the [[Division of Lyons]] in 1984, in joint honour of him and his wife Enid. The state seat of Wilmot was also renamed [[Division of Lyons (state)|Lyons]] for the same reason. Lyons's birthplace in Stanley ("Joe Lyons Cottage") and family home in Devonport ("Home Hill") are operated as heritage sites, the latter by the [[National Trust of Australia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/attraction/joelyonscottage|title=Joe Lyons Cottage|publisher=Discover Tasmania|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/home-hill/|title=Home Hill|publisher=National Trust of Australia|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Australia}}
*[[First Lyons Ministry]]
*[[Second Lyons Ministry]]
*[[Third Lyons Ministry]]
*[[Fourth Lyons Ministry]]
*[[List of prime ministers of Australia]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
===Biographical works===
*{{cite book |last1=Andrews |first1=Kevin |author1-link=Kevin Andrews (politician) |title=Joseph Lyons and the management of adversity |series=Australian Biographical Monographs |volume=1 |date=2016 |publisher=Connor Court Publishing |location=Redland Bay, Qld |isbn=9781925501339}}
*{{cite book|first=David|last=Bird|title=J. A. Lyons, The Tame Tasmanian: Appeasement and Rearmament in Australia, 1932–39|year=2008|publisher=Australian Scholarly Publishing|isbn=9781740971577}}
*{{cite journal|first=John|last=Hawkins|title=Joseph Lyons: the Tasmanian treasurer |url=https://static.treasury.gov.au/uploads/sites/1/2017/06/06_Joseph_Lyons_Tasmanian_treasurer.pdf|journal=Economic Roundup|publisher=[[Department of the Treasury (Australia)|Department of the Treasury]]|year=2010|volume=3}}
*{{cite book|first=Anne|last=Henderson|author-link=Anne Henderson (author)|title=Joseph Lyons: The People's Prime Minister|year=2011|publisher=UNSW Press|isbn=978-1742240992}}
*{{cite book|first=Brendan|last=Lyons|author-link=Brendan Lyons|title=They Loved Him To Death: Australian Prime Minister 'Honest Joe' Lyons|year=2008|publisher=self-published|isbn=9780958517478}}
*{{cite book|first=Kate|last=White|title=Joe and Enid Lyons: A Political Love Story|publisher=Penguin|year=1987|isbn=0140097899}}

===In compilations===
*{{cite book|first=Anne|last=Henderson|author-link=Anne Henderson (author)|chapter=Joseph Aloysius Lyons|editor=Michelle Grattan|editor-link=Michelle Grattan|year=2000|title=Australian Prime Ministers|publisher=New Holland|pages=152–167|isbn=1-86436-756-3}}
*{{cite book|first=Colin|last=Hughes|author-link=Colin Hughes|year=1976|chapter=Joseph Lyons|title=Mr Prime Minister. Australian Prime Ministers 1901–1972|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-550471-2}}

==External links==
* {{cite Tas Parliament |id=lyonsj315 |title=Lyons, Joseph |access-date=24 July 2022}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/019034}}

{{Commons category|Joseph Lyons}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Llewellyn Atkinson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for [[Division of Wilmot|Wilmot]]|years=1929–1939}}
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{{s-ttl|title= [[Minister for Health and Ageing (Australia)|Minister for Health]]|years=1935–1936}}
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{{s-ttl|title= [[Minister for Veterans' Affairs (Australia)|Minister for Repatriation]]|years=1935–1936}}
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{{s-ttl| title=[[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]]|years=1937}}
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{{s-ppo}}
{{s-new|party}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the [[United Australia Party]]|years=1931–1939}}
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{{s-end}}

{{Prime Ministers of Australia}}
{{Leaders of the United Australia Party}}
{{Treasurers of Australia}}
{{TasmaniaPremiers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Joseph}}
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