John Armstrong

Who was John Armstrong?

John Ignatius Armstrong, AC was an Australian politician and federal minister.

Armstrong was born into a large Roman Catholic family in the Sydney suburb of Ultimo to William and Ellen Armstrong, both emigrants from Ireland. He was educated at St Bede's School, Pyrmont, and at the Marist Brothers' High School, Darlinghurst. In 1934, he was elected as an alderman of Sydney Municipal Council, representing the Australian Labor Party until 1948.

Armstrong was selected for Labor's slate of candidates for the Australian Senate for the 1937 election partly because his name would appear high on the alphabetic ballot and he was duly elected, effective from July 1938. He married Joan Therese Josephine Curran in October 1945. He was appointed Minister for Munitions in Ben Chifley's November 1946 ministry.

In April 1948, his portfolio was merged with the Supply functions of Bill Ashley's portfolio to create the portfolio of Supply and Development and he was attacked by the opposition for the breadth of his powers. Following Labor's defeat at the 1949 election, he became deputy-leader of the Opposition in the Senate.