Bill Hayden

Bill Hayden   (politician)
Born	23 January 1933 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	Brisbane State High School, University of Queensland
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 1983 to 1988  Governor-General of Australia In office 16 February 1989 - 16 February 1996  Australia/Leader of the Opposition  In office 22 December 1977 - 3 February 1983 Preceded by Gough Whitlam Succeeded by Bob Hawke  Australia/Leader of the Labor Party In office 22 December 1977 - 3 February 1983 Preceded by Gough Whitlam Succeeded by Bob Hawke  Australia/Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade In office 1 March 1983 - 17 August 1988  Treasurer of Australia In office 6 June 1975 - 11 November 1975  Australia/Minister for Social Security In office 19 December 1972 - 6 June 1975  Member of the Australian Parliament for Oxley In office 9 December 1961 - 8 October 1988

William George Hayden is an Australian politician who was the 21st Governor-General of Australia from 1989 to 1996. He was Leader of the Labor Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1977 to 1983, and was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 1983 to 1988 under Bob Hawke and as Treasurer of Australia in 1975 under Gough Whitlam.

Hayden was one of a number of notable Australians who maintained discreet relationships with United States officials in the 1970s, which he admitted in his 1996 memoirs.

Hayden was born in Brisbane, Queensland. He attended Brisbane State High School and then joined the Queensland Police, working as a police officer for eight years while studying economics part-time at the University of Queensland. Hayden was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1961 federal election, aged 28 – along with Manfred Cross and Doug McClelland. When Gough Whitlam led the Labor Party to victory in 1972, he was made Minister for Social Security. He replaced Jim Cairns as Treasurer in 1975, but served for only five months before the government was dismissed.

In early 1977, Hayden challenged Whitlam for the party leadership and was defeated by just two votes. He defeated Lionel Bowen to succeed Whitlam as Leader of the Opposition at the end of the year, following Labor's defeat at the 1977 election. Hayden led the party to the 1980 election, recording a substantial swing but falling well short of victory. He was replaced by Bob Hawke just a few weeks before the 1983 election, after months of speculation. Hayden was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade from 1983 to 1988, then left parliament to assume the governor-generalship.

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