Frank Forde

Rt Hon Frank Forde
15th Prime Minister of Australia
In office 6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945
Preceded by	John Curtin
Succeeded by	Ben Chifley
Constituency	Capricornia (Queensland)
Personal details
Born	(1890-07-18)18 July 1890 Mitchell, Queensland
Died	28 January 1983(1983-01-28) (aged 92)
Political party	Labor

Francis Michael Forde (18 July 1890 – 28 January 1983) was the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was Prime Minister for only a week after John Curtin died. He lost a leadership contest to Ben Chifley. He was prime minister for only eight days, less than any other Prime Minister from Australia. He also lived longer than any other Prime Minister, until Gough Whitlam, who passed Forde's age on January 21, 2009. He died at 92 years old.

Forde was from the Australian Labor Party. He was the Minister for Trade and Customs in the Scullin government (1929–1931). When Scullin retired in 1935, Forde tried to become the leader of the Labor Party, but he lost by one vote to John Curtin. When Labor won the 1941 elections and Curtin became Prime Minister, Forde was made Minister for the Army. On 5 July 1945 Curtin died; because he was Deputy Leader, Forde was then made Prime Minister until the Labor Party chose a new leader. At the leadership election on 13 July, Ben Chifley was voted leader, and Forde was made Deputy Leader again.