Eric Reece

Eric Reece, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Tasmania (died 1999)

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Born: July 6, 1909
Died: October 23, 1999
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Birth year: 1909

About Eric Reece

Eric Elliott Reece, AC (6 July 1909 – 23 October 1999) was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975. His 13 years as premier remains the second longest in Tasmania's history, second to only Robert Cosgrove. Reece was the first Premier of Tasmania to have been born in the 20th century. == Early life == Born in the small Tasmanian town of Mathinna, Reece joined the Australian Workers' Union in 1934, having that year obtained a job at a copper mine after four years' unemployment. From 1935 to 1946 he was in charge of the AWU's West Coast District organisation. == Politics == Reece attempted to enter the House of Representatives for the Division of Darwin at the federal elections of 1940 and 1943, but failed both times. In 1943, his successful opponent was Dame Enid Lyons. On 23 November 1946, Reece was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly, representing the state seat of Darwin. He would represent this seat, renamed Braddon in 1955, until his retirement in 1975. Straight away he was appointed to the cabinet led by Sir Robert Cosgrove, and over the next 12 years he held various portfolios, including the Ministry of Mines, the Ministry of Housing, and the Ministry of Lands and Works.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Well known for his staunch support of Tasmania's Hydro Electric Commission and its power development schemes on the Gordon River, Reece acquired as a result the nickname 'Electric Eric'.
This was as much a personal victory as a political one, since Reece himself topped the poll in Braddon with 35.4%, still a record for an individual candidate in that electorate.
The Liberals had gained a one-seat majority in the House of Assembly by forming a coalition with former Speaker Kevin Lyons, who had founded his own Centre Party.
Reece became leader of the state Labor Party, and hence Premier, in 1958 after Cosgrove's resignation.

The world when Eric Reece was born

Eric Reece was born in 1909. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1909

Best-selling book"The Inner Shrine" – Basil King

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentHonus Wagner leads Pittsburgh Pirates to World Series victory
Top headlineRobert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
Technology milestoneBakelite (first fully synthetic plastic) invented
Notable inventionBakelite plastic
World population~1.69B

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderWilliam Howard Taft
U.S. population88.8M

1909 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Eric Reece's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1909	2026
Population	88.8M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.