User:Porturology/George Mitchell (Australian politician)

George Deane Mitchell (30 August 1894 – 11 January 1961) was an Australian politician and an Independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for a single term between 1941 and 1944. .

Early Life
Mitchell was born in Caltowie near Jamestown, South Australia and was the son of a railway porter. He was educated Adelaide and worked as a clerk in Therbarton until 1914. Mitchell enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of World War One and served in the Middle East and France between 1914 and 1919. He reached the rank of Lieutenant and was awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Conduct Medal. In the inter-war period Mitchell was a member of the Citizens' Military Forces and he re-enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force at the commencement of World War Two. He reached the rank of Major and commanded a amphibian landing force in the New Guinea Campaign. Mitchell had several other occupations including potato farming in Dorrigo, owning a motor garage and car sales agency and script writing for the Australian film industry. He was an office bearer in the Returned Services League.

State Parliament
Woodward entered parliament as the Labor member for Lane Cove after he won the seat at 1944 state election. This was a surprise result as Lane Cove was considered one of the most conservative seats in the assembly. The incumbent Democtratic Party member Herbert FitzSimons had retired and his party's new candidate was John Cramer a future Liberal member of the  Australian House of Representatives and a cabinet minister under Robert Menzies. The Liberal Democrat candidate was Norman Thomas a former United Australia Party member for the seat of Bondi. Divisions between the two conservative parties resulted in Woodward gaining a 23% leakage of Thomas' second preferences and an 800 vote (2%) victory. The unification of New South Wales' urban conservative politicians in the Liberal Party in 1945, augured the end of Woodward's parliamentary career. He was easily defeated by Liberal candidate Ken McCaw at the 1947 election. Woodward did not hold caucus, parliamentary or ministerial office.