Reg Turnbull
Dr Reg Turnbull | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Australia Party | |
| In office 12 August 1969 – 1 February 1970 | |
| Senator for Tasmania | |
| In office 1 July 1962 – 11 April 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Wardlaw |
| Succeeded by | Don Grimes |
| Member of the Tasmanian Parliament for Bass | |
| In office 23 November 1946 – 30 October 1961 | |
| Preceded by | John Quintal |
| Succeeded by | Wallace Fraser |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 February 1908 Shanghai, China |
| Died | 17 July 2006 (aged 98) |
| Party | Labor (to 1959) Independent (1959–69) Australia Party (1969–70) Independent (1970–74) |
| Spouses | Elizabeth Ffrost
(m. 1930; died 1986)Nell Ramsay (m. 1987) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Profession | Medical doctor |
| Nickname | Spot |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service | Australian Imperial Force |
| Years of service | 1942–1944 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 2/12th Field Ambulance |
Reginald John David "Spot" Turnbull (21 February 1908 – 17 July 2006) was an Australian politician. He served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1962 to 1974 and was a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1946 to 1961.
Turnbull was born in China to Australian parents and returned to Australia at a young age. He studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and began working as a general practitioner in Tasmania in the 1930s. He served as a military physician during World War II. Turnbull began his political career in the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He was elected to state parliament in 1946 and was appointed minister for health in 1948, also becoming state treasurer in 1956. He resigned from the ALP in 1959 after falling out with Premier Eric Reece and subsequently won re-election as an independent.
Turnbull was elected to the Senate at the 1961 federal election and was re-elected in 1967, attaining a high profile as an independent crossbencher sharing the balance of power. In 1969 Turnbull accepted leadership of the newly formed Australia Party, a successor to the Australian Reform Movement. The party enjoyed limited success at the 1969 election and he resigned from the party in 1970 to return to his independent status. He retired from politics at the 1974 election and returned to his medical practice.