Tom Hughes

Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes AO KC (born 26 November 1923) is an Australian former barrister and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he served as Attorney-General in the Gorton government from 1969 to 1971 and was a member of the House of Representatives from 1963 to 1972, representing the New South Wales seats of Parkes and Berowra. He is a former president of the New South Wales Bar Association and was one of Sydney's most prominent barristers for a number of decades. Hughes is the last surviving Liberal minister of the Gorton and McMahon Governments. Early life and education Hughes was born on 26 November 1923 in Rose Bay, New South Wales. He was the son of lawyer and aviator Geoffrey Forrest Hughes. His brother was the writer and critic Robert Hughes. His grandfather and great-uncle were members of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was educated at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, and the University of Sydney, where he graduated in law. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in May 1942 and was discharged in February 1946. In 2005 he was awarded the French Légion d'honneur for his courage while flying planes in the Invasion of Normandy. He was called to the New South Wales bar in 1949, becoming a QC in 1962. Hughes appeared in a number of high-profile defamation cases. In 1960 he successfully defended Australian Consolidated Press, its editor-in-chief David McNicoll, and political journalist Alan Reid against a suit brought by union secretary Charlie Oliver. In 1964 he represented author Hal Porter against The Mercury for publishing a bad review of his autobiography. Politics