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James Valentine Fairbairn (28 July 1897 – 13 August 1940) was a pastoralist, aviator, Australian politician and cabinet minister who was killed in the Canberra air disaster. Fairbairn was born in Wadhurst, Sussex, England, second son of Charles Fairbairn, a wealthy Australian grazier and nephew of George Fairbairn. He was brought up at Banongill, near Skipton, Victoria and educated at Geelong Grammar School from 1908 to 1915. He then travelled to England to enlist in the Royal Flying Corps as a flying officer. On 14 February 1917, he was shot down and captured by the Germans. Fourteen months later he was released in a prisoner exchange. Despite permanent injuries to his right arm, he continued to fly for the rest of his life. He returned to Australia in 1919 and took over the management of Peak Downs station, in Queensland. On 21 March 1923, he married Daisy Olive "Peggy" Forrester in Toorak. In 1924 he bought Mount Elephant station, near Derrinallum, in western Victoria. He was elected to the Hampden Shire Council in 1930 and subsequently became a director of the Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney and the Union Trustee Co. of Australia Ltd. He played polo, golf, lawn tennis and squash, becoming the president of the Australian Squash Racquets Association. ==Political career== In 1932 Fairbairn was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Warrnambool, representing the United Australia Party. In 1933, he resigned his seat to contest the House of Representatives seat of Flinders at a by-election following the resignation of Prime Minister Stanley Bruce. He was successful, and held the seat until his death. He regularly flew between his property and Canberra and was recognized as an authority on aviation. He flew around Australia in 1935, and in 1936 he bought a De Havilland Dragonfly in England and flew it back to Australia.〔 On 26 April 1939 he was appointed to the first Menzies Ministry as Minister for Civil Aviation, and Vice-President of the Executive Council; he also assisted the Minister for Defence.〔(Key people ) in the government of Sir Robert Menzies.〕 On the outbreak of war in September 1939, he travelled to Canada to help establish the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. On 13 November 1939 he was sworn in there as the first Australian Minister for the Air by the Governor General of Canada, John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir. He resigned as Vice-President of the Executive Council on 26 January 1940. On 14 March 1940 he was appointed to the second Menzies Ministry as Minister for Civil Aviation and Minister for Air. In July 1940 he flew himself around Australia in his Dragonfly to review all RAAF stations.〔 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「James Fairbairn」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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