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Alexander Mair (25 August 18893 August 1969) was an Australian politician and served as the Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, Mair worked in various businesses there before moving to Albury, New South Wales where he went on to be a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for fourteen years. In 1932, Mair was elected to the seat of Albury and was re-elected a further four times. He rose quickly through the cabinet of Bertram Stevens' United Australia Party government, becoming an Assistant Minister in April 1938, Minister for Labour and Industry in June and Colonial Treasurer in October. A staunch supporter of Stevens throughout his Premiership, Mair became his successor as Premier in August 1939 following Stevens' defeat in a no-confidence motion moved by renegade Minister, Eric Spooner. Becoming Premier at a difficult time for the government, Mair's leadership was marked by his unification of his formerly fractious party, the reining-in of government expenditure and increased taxes to reduce debt, and new labor laws to reduce unemployment. When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Mair mobilised the state towards the war effort but found it difficult to communicate his message to the voters. He served as Premier until losing the May 1941 election to the Labor Party under William McKell, losing 20 seats.〔Clune. p. 237.〕 Remaining as Opposition Leader, with the UAP shattered, Mair became leader of the new Democratic Party and was involved in the negotiations to unite the broken conservative parties and form the Liberal Party of Australia in 1945. When Reginald Weaver died in November 1945, only months after becoming the first leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales, Mair was selected to succeed him. Mair remained as leader until he resigned in March 1946 to contest the Australian Senate. He was unsuccessful and thereafter retired back to Melbourne, where he died in 1969, aged 79. ==Early life== Alexander Mair was born on 25 August 1889 in the Melbourne suburb of North Carlton, Victoria, the eldest child of Victorian-born parents Alexander Mair, a timber and steel merchant, and his wife Florence Mair (née Hunter). Mair was educated at Wesley College, where he excelled in sports, and then later at Bradshaw's Business College.〔Clune. p. 238.〕 Upon leaving education, Mair was employed in his father's company, Alexander Mair & Co, timber, iron and steel merchants. On 29 October 1913, Mair married Grace Lennox at the Scots' Church, Melbourne and together had two sons, John and Sandy, and a daughter, Margaret.〔 When his father also died in that year, Mair took charge of the company, which expanded into hardware. He involved himself in every facet of the company, often visiting overseas suppliers. However, a bout of influenza in the 1919 epidemic and subsequent asthma led him gradually to withdraw from business. In 1922 he sold the steelyard and then in 1925 sold the rest of the company's other assets to James McEwan & Co. Pty Ltd, serving as a director of the latter until 1927.〔 In 1928, Mair purchased 'Rockwood', a grazing property outside of Albury, New South Wales, where the Mairs raised sheep and cattle as well as grain.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alexander Mair」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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