Duggan, John Edmund (Jack)

Jack Duggan was born December 30, 1910 at Maree, South Australia. Orphaned in 1921, he came to Toowoomba in 1922 to join his brothers and sisters.

He began his political career when he became Secretary of the Toowoomba Trades and Labour Council at 21. He was elected Toowoomba Branch president of the Australian Labor Party at 22.

He married in 1935 and had 2 children.

In 1935 he entered State Parliament as the Member for Toowoomba aged only 25 and was a Cabinet Minister at 37 and Deputy Premier at 40. After serving in World War II, he was appointed to Cabinet as Transport Minister.

It was during his 10 years as Transport Minister that he made his greatest contribution by modernising Queensland’s rail system. Mr Duggan was Deputy Premier at the time of the major Labor Party split in 1957.

He succeeded Vince Gair as ALP Parliamentary leader and was State Opposition leader when he resigned from politics in 1968. He was elected to Toowoomba City Council in  1970, becoming Deputy Mayor after the next election, and was Mayor in 1981 but did not seek re-election in  1982.

He was patron of many organizations including the Toowoomba Rugby League, Toowoomba Tennis Association, Toowoomba Orchid Society, the Blue Nursing Service and others.

He died June 19, 1993 aged 82 and is buried in the Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery.