Tom Hughes (Australian politician)

Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes (26 November 1923 – 28 November 2024) was an Australian barrister and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he served as Attorney-General in the Gorton government from 1969 to 1971, and was a member of the House of Representatives from 1963 to 1972, representing the New South Wales seats of Parkes and Berowra. He was a president of the New South Wales Bar Association and was one of Sydney's most prominent barristers for a number of decades. Hughes was the last surviving Liberal minister of the Gorton and McMahon governments.

Early life and education

Hughes was born on 26 November 1923 in Rose Bay, New South Wales. He was one of four children born to lawyer and aviator Geoffrey Forrest Hughes and his wife Margaret Eyre Sealy (née Vidal). His brother was the writer and critic Robert Hughes, while his grandfather Thomas Hughes and great-uncle John Hughes were members of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

Hughes was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and the University of Sydney, where he graduated in law. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in May 1942 and was trained as a pilot. In December 1943, he began a tour of operations with 10 Squadron RAAF as second pilot of a crew flying Short Sunderland flying boats, becoming a first pilot in his crew just prior to Invasion of Normandy, and then in January 1945 captain of his own Sunderland crew.