Meet Your Lesser-known PMs

Cherish each PM because who knows how long we’ll have him (or her… but usually him).

Chris Watson

vrroom.naa.gov.au

27 April 1904 – 18 August 1904

Only 37, he is still the youngest Prime Minister in Australia's history. In comparison, the “boyish” KRudd was 50.

George Reid

vrroom.naa.gov.au

18 August 1904 – 5 July 1905

Australia’s funniest PM? When heckled about his beer gut – “What are you going to call it, George?” – he replied: "If it's a boy, I'll call it after myself. If it's a girl I'll call it Victoria. But if, as I strongly suspect, it's nothing but piss and wind, I'll name it after you."

Earl Page

primeministers.naa.gov.au

7 April – 26 April 1939

His short time as PM is almost the LEAST interesting thing about him. He started an Arts degree at university at age 14, then transferred to medicine, and was one of the first people in the country to own a car.

Arthur Fadden

primeministers.naa.gov.au

29 August 1941 – 7 October 1941

Another comedian. Fadden joked that he was like the Flood: he had "reigned for 40 days and 40 nights".

Frank Forde

aso.gov.au

6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945

The shortest-serving prime minister – eight days – but ironically the longest-lived Australian prime minister (92 years, 194 days), until he was passed by Gough Whitlam in 2009.