User:Porturology/Abe Landa

The Hon. Abram Landa (10 November 1902 – 7 October 1989) was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from  1930 until 1932 and from 1941 until 1965. He was variously a member of the   Australian Labor Party (NSW) and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He held numerous ministerial positions between 1953 and 1965.

Early and Personal Life
Landa was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and migrated to Sydney with his widowed mother in 1910. He was educated at Christian Brothers, Waverley and won a scholarship to study law at the University of Sydney. He practiced as a solicitor mainly in Industrial Law and joined the ALP in 1919. He was an advisor to Doc Evatt at the United Nations meetings in Lake Success. Landa was a prominent member of Sydney's Jewish Community and the uncle of Paul Landa who was a member of the Legislative Assembly and the New South Wales Legislative council. He was made a CMG in 1968.

State Parliament
Kelly was unsuccessful in an attempt to win a seat in the multi-member electorate of Bathurst at the 1922 state election but succeeded at the next election in the 1925. He retained the seat when New South Wales reverted to single member electorates in the 1927 but was defeated in the 1932 landslide that ended the premiership of Jack Lang. After 3 years working as the gate keeper at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Kelly regained the seat and retained it for the next 8 elections. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (NSW) while that party was separated from the Federal executive of the Australian Labor Party between 1932 and 1936.

Government
With the election of the Labor government of William McKell at the 1941 election, Kelly was appointed Minister for Health. He retained this position until 1950 and subsequently was Minister for Housing, Chief Secretary and Minister for Tourism. He remained in cabinet until 1965 and uniquely was a minister throughout the record 24 year term of the Labor Government. He died as the sitting member for Bathurst in 1967.