Edwin Kerby

Who was Edwin Kerby?

Edwin Thomas John Kerby was an Australian politician. Born in Ballarat, Victoria, he attended Grenville College before becoming a mining engineer and electrical contractor. He served in World War I from 1914 to 1919. In 1919, he was selected as the Nationalist candidate for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Ballaarat, and defeated sitting Labor MP Charles McGrath by one vote, the closest result ever recorded for the House of Representatives. McGrath successfully challenged Kerby's election in the courts, and a by-election was held in 1920 and won by McGrath. Kerby became a businessman, focusing mainly on aviation, and became prominent among ex-servicemen's causes; he held the leadership of the RSL. He died in 1971.