Don Dunstan (1926–1999) was a South Australian politician. He was first elected as Member for Norwood in 1953 and rose to prominence in the late 1950s for campaigning against the death penalty. He became the attorney-general of South Australia in 1965 and premier on 1 June 1967. After resigning in 1968, he returned as premier after the 1970 election, the first of four successive election wins. His administration was socially progressive, enacting anti-discrimination laws, expanding voting rights, and increasing the public service sector. However, the economy began to stagnate and the burgeoning public service generated claims of waste. His popularity decreased in 1978 when unsubstantiated rumours of corruption and personal impropriety began, and he was accused of improperly interfering with a judicial investigation. In 1979 he collapsed from ill health and resigned from the premiership shortly afterward. He continued to campaign for progressive social policy until his death in 1999.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Dunstan
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1676:
Scanian War: The Swedish warship Kronan, one of the largest ships in the world at the time, sank at the Battle of Öland with the loss of around 800 men. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C3%96land
1861:
The first land battle of the American Civil War after Fort Sumter took place in the village of Fairfax, Virginia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fairfax_Court_House_%28June_1861%29
1942:
World War II: The crews of three Japanese submarines scuttled their vessels and committed suicide after entering Sydney Harbour and launching a failed attack. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Sydney_Harbour
2015:
The river cruise ship Dongfang zhi Xing capsized in the Yangtze, resulting in 442 deaths in China's worst peacetime maritime disaster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Dongfang_zhi_Xing
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
oxishly: (rare) In a manner like that of an ox. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oxishly
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds. --Carl von Clausewitz https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz