About David Brand
Sir David Brand KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving premier of Western Australia, in office from 1959 to 1971, and was state leader of the Liberal Party from 1957 to 1972. Brand was born in Dongara, Western Australia. He was raised on farms in the Mid West and left school at the age of 14. He moved to the Eastern Goldfields in 1935 and worked as a miner for several years, later serving in the Australian Army during World War II where he was wounded on the Greek campaign. Brand was elected to the Parliament of Western Australia at a 1945 by-election for the seat of Greenough. He served as a cabinet minister under Ross McLarty from 1949 to 1953 and replaced McLarty as leader of the Liberal Party in 1957. Brand led the Liberal Party to victory at the 1959 state election and won three subsequent terms governing in coalition with the Country Party. His term as premier saw significant population growth and economic development, including the expansion of the Ord River Scheme and the development of the iron ore mining industry in the Pilbara and the bauxite mining industry in the south-west. Brand's government was defeated at the 1971 state election and he resigned as Liberal leader in 1972 and from parliament in 1975. The federal Division of Brand and Brand Highway are named in his honour. Brand won the seat for the Liberal Party in a by-election that year, defeating Newton's brother by a narrow margin. In February 1938 he discovered the body of a co-worker, Walter Veitch, who had been fatally electrocuted while working alone at a pumping station.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.