senior bureaucracy, by extending the years of compulsory school attendance and by providing better facilities for the intellectually and physically disabled. The government legislated to allow women to serve in the police force and as justices of the peace, while it also improved workers' access to the arbitration system and diminished the court's punitive powers against trade unions. A wheat pool was created, as were land and housing schemes for war veterans. However, the government also passed a law designed to close Lutheran primary schools. He resigned from the Labor Party in 1917 in support of Billy Hughes' proposal for conscription, and was a founding member of the National Labor Party in 1917. Andrew Kirkpatrick replaced Vaughan as leader of the official Labor Party. Vaughan remained as premier atop a minority government until 1917, when his government was defeated in parliament over the conscription issue, with Peake becoming Premier for a third time. Vaughan spent the last months of his term on a speaking tour of the United States, at the invitation of President Woodrow Wilson. He made a last-minute decision to recontest his seat the 1918 election as an independent, while still overseas – despite having formally been leader of the National Party until that point. However, he was unsuccessful in holding his seat, and retired from South Australian politics. Outside politics Crawford had a literary bent: he was a freelance journalist and for a time editor of Quiz before taking up politics, and in later life had two books published: Golden Wattle Time published in Sydney 1942 by Frank Johnson and The Last of Captain Bligh published in London 1950 by Staples Press. He was also the author of radio scripts. He moved to Sydney after leaving parliament, where he developed a number of business interests. In retirement, he devoted much of his time to his literary interests. He died at his home in Sydney in 1947, and was awarded a state funeral by the government of South Australia. Family In 1906 he married Evelyn Goode, sister of parliamentary colleague Clarence Goode. After her death in 1927 he remarried in 1934 to Millicent Preston-Stanley, the first woman to be elected to the Parliament of New South Wales. Notes References Australian Dictionary of Biography External links |- |- |- |- Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of South Australia 1874 births 1947 deaths Premiers of South Australia Leaders