Jim Leedman Explained

Jim Leedman
Honorific-Suffix:AM MHA
Office:President of the ACT Liberal Party
Predecessor:Gary Humphries
Successor:Gwen Wilcox
Term Start:1989
Term End:1992
Predecessor1:George Hohnen
Successor1:Gwen Wilcox
Term Start1:1966
Term End1:1968
Office2:Leader of the ACT Liberal Party
Term Start2:20 January 1977
Term End2:10 December 1988
Predecessor2:Peter Hughes
Successor2:Trevor Kaine
Term Start3:1966
Term End3:30 October 1974
Successor3:Peter Hughes
Office4:Deputy Leader of the ACT Liberal Party
Successor4:Trevor Kaine
Term Start4:30 October 1974
Term End4:20 January 1977
Office5:Member of the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly for Canberra
Term Start5:28 September 1974
Term End5:30 June 1986
Office6:Member of the Australian Capital Territory Advisory Council
Term Start6:16 September 1967
Term End6:28 September 1974
Birth Date:7 January 1938
Birth Place:Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Australia
Death Place:Canberra, Australia
Nationality:Australian
Spouse:Heather Leedman[1]
Party:Liberal
Children:4

James Willoughby Leedman AM (7 January 1938 – 7 December 2024) was an Australian politician who served as the leader and president of the Liberal Party in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).[2] [3] [4]

Early life

Leedman was born in the Western Australian city of Kalgoorlie, attending Scotch College in Perth and graduating from the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 1960.[5] He played for the UWA Rugby Club between 1956 and 1959 with his brother, Bruce Leedman.[6] Shortly after graduating from UWA, he left Australia to travel around the world for three years, and while in the United States, received a scholarship to do a master's degree in international relations at Clark University in Massachusetts.[5]

He returned to Western Australia in 1963, before moving to Canberra the following year to work with the Department of Trade and Industry.[5] He then moved into private practice as a barrister and solicitor.[5]

Political career

In 1966, Leedman became president of the ACT Liberal Party's Canberra branch, and also served as the party's Electoral Conference president.[7] [8] He became president of the newly-formed Woden Valley branch later that year.[9] [10]

House of Assembly

Leedman led the Liberals at the 1967 election for the Australian Capital Territory Advisory Council.[11] [12] He was one of two Liberals elected, and was later re-elected in 1970.[13] [14] [15]

In 1974, he led the Liberals at the first election for newly-formed ACT Legislative Assembly (later House of Assembly), and was elected as one of nine members for the division of Canberra.[16] [17] Following the election, fellow Canberra MLA Peter Hughes won a caucus vote to become the new Liberal leader, with Leedman moving to the position of deputy leader.[18] [19]

Hughes resigned as leader and from the Liberal Party in January 1977 to sit as an independent.[20] [21] Leedman, as well as Fraser MLA Trevor Kaine, sought the leadership, with Leedman emerging successful at a leadership election on 20 January 1977.[22] [23]

In October 1985, Leedman chose not to support amendments to ACT criminal legislation which would make marital rape an offence.[24] According to The Canberra Times, Leedman claimed that "to place a husband in the same category as a burglar who broke into a house and raped a female stranger was to denigrate the status of marriage".[24] Although he said there "might be a case for the concept of rape in marriage in cases where couples were separated and living apart," he added that "I cannot accept that it should apply in cases where the husband and wife are continuing to live together".[24]

Post-House of Assembly

Leedman remained as Liberal leader until a 1988 leadership election, conducted ahead of the first ACT election under self-government, which saw Trevor Kaine chosen the party's leader.[25] [26] [27] [28] [29] He maintained a low profile ahead of the 1989 ACT election and was not one of the ten Liberal candidates chosen for the election.[30] [31]

Leedman later returned as ACT Liberal Party president, serving in the role from 1989 until 1992.[9] [32] During his presidency, the party had two leadership elections – one in June 1991 and the other in July 1991 – with the former seeing Trevor Kaine removed as leader by Gary Humphries just days after Leedman declared Kaine's position was safe.[32] [33]

Personal life and death

Leedman was married to Heather Leedman and had four children.[3] [34] He converted to Christianity in the early 1980s and became a member of the Forrest Uniting Church.[35]

On Australia Day 1988, Leedman was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to the community" in his role at the Department of the Treasury.[36]

Leedman died on 7 December 2024, at the age of 86.[34] A funeral service was held on 12 December 2024 at Wesley Uniting Church.[37]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Referendum group may join election . The Canberra Times. 15 January 2025 . 3 . 27 August 1984.
  2. Web site: ADDRESS TO LIBERAL PARTY DINNER, CANBERRA . PM Transcripts . 22 October 2024 . 27 September 1979 . 29 October 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241029194558/https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/original/00005149.pdf . live .
  3. Web site: The Liberal candidates . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 8 . 27 May 1982.
  4. Web site: At the ACT Order of Australia Association's Australia Day breakfast . Issuu . Canberra CityNews . 22 October 2024 . 14 . 31 January 2013.
  5. Web site: THE LIBERAL CANDIDATES . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 27 . 14 September 1967.
  6. Web site: Wolters . Rick . VALE – Jim Leedman (1938-2024) . Facebook . UWA Rugby Club . 20 December 2024 . https://archive.today/20241220103026/https://www.facebook.com/groups/uwarugby/permalink/10160593219531890/ . 20 December 2024 . 11 December 2024.
  7. Web site: LIBERAL PARTY . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 12 . 21 March 1966.
  8. Web site: Senate plan supported . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 1 June 1967.
  9. Web site: Our History . Canberra Liberals . 22 October 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241008034915/https://canberraliberals.org.au/our-history . 8 October 2024.
  10. Web site: The shining example . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 2 . 14 July 1966.
  11. Web site: Record poll field of 16 for council . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 29 August 1967.
  12. Web site: RECORD OF COUNCIL CITED . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 7 . 12 September 1967.
  13. Web site: Liberals accused of fence-sitting . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 14 . 13 September 1967.
  14. Web site: NEW ADVISORY COUNCIL . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 2 . 18 September 1967.
  15. Web site: Three try for Council poll . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 10 . 12 August 1970.
  16. Web site: Inquiry sought on health centres . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 8 . 12 September 1974.
  17. Web site: 2004 Week 10 Hansard . ACT Legislative Assembly . 22 October 2024 . 26 August 2004 . In 1974 he was elected as a member of Jim Leedman's Liberal team to the newly-created ACT Assembly.
  18. Web site: Wright . Bruce . Board posts . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 31 October 1974.
  19. Web site: Wright . Bruce . Assembly rejects move on boards . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 1 . 1 November 1974.
  20. Web site: ACT Liberal leader quits party . The Age . 22 October 2024 . 1 . 4 January 1977.
  21. Web site: Myerscough . Ian . Dr Hughes quits Liberals . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 1 . 4 January 1977.
  22. Web site: Myerscough . Ian . Meeting soon on Liberal leadership . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 9 . 5 January 1977.
  23. Web site: LEEDMAN LEADS LIBERALS . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 1 . 21 January 1977 . 20 December 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241220104225/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110836321 . live .
  24. Web site: Warden . Ian . Denigrating burglars to compare them to husbands that rape . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 2 . 27 October 1985.
  25. Web site: Jolimont site plans 'soon' . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 15 . 30 July 1980.
  26. Web site: Leedman moves to try to end dispute . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 17 August 1981.
  27. Web site: Longhurst . Franky . Precedence given to Liberal outsiders . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 17 April 1982.
  28. Web site: Labor Members change leader . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 8 March 1983.
  29. Web site: Democrats slated over self-rule . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 3 . 17 June 1986.
  30. Web site: Pro-casino supporters could run a ticket against the Liberals . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 2 . 26 June 1988.
  31. Web site: Fraser . Andrew . Winnel placed tenth on ticket . The Canberra Times. 21 October 2024 . 1 . 11 December 1988.
  32. Web site: Libs back Kaine, says Leedman . The Canberra Times. 21 October 2024 . 2 . 3 June 1991 . 19 December 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241219172735/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118147756 . live .
  33. Web site: Follett safe, says Lib chief . The Canberra Times. 21 October 2024 . 1 . 13 June 1991.
  34. Web site: LEEDMAN, JAMES WILLOUGHBY . The Canberra Times. 20 December 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241220102317/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/tributes-funerals/death-notices/596510/leedman-james-willoughby-belconnen-act/ . 20 December 2024 . 11 December 2024.
  35. Web site: Leedman finds more in Christianity . The Canberra Times. 22 October 2024 . 24 . 5 September 1984.
  36. Web site: Hansard of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly . ACT Government . 23 December 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241223053555/https://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/2nd-assembly/1993/PDF/19931021.pdf . 23 December 2024 . 132 . 21 October 1993 . Mr Jim Leedman AM (Chair).
  37. Web site: James 'Jim' Leedman . William Cole Funerals . 20 December 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241220103514/https://www.williamcolefunerals.com.au/calendar-of-services/james-leedman . 20 December 2024 . 12 December 2024.

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