Rex Connor, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Rex Connor

Australian politician

Date of Birth: 26-Jan-1907

Place of Birth: Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

Date of Death: 22-Aug-1977

Profession: politician, farmer, car dealer

Nationality: Australia

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Reginald Francis Xavier "Rex" Connor (26 January 1907 – 22 August 1977) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1963 to his death, representing the Labor Party.
He was Minister for Minerals and Energy in the Whitlam Government from 1972 to 1975. Connor was born in Wollongong, New South Wales.
He served on the Wollongong City Council from 1938 to 1945, and then in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1950 to 1963.
After entering federal politics, Connor became an ally of Gough Whitlam, who appointed him to cabinet when Labor won the 1972 election.
As Minister for Minerals and Energy, he was noted for his strident economic nationalism.
However, Connor is best known as the central figure in the "loans affair", which arose from his unorthodox (and possibly unconstitutional) attempts to secure petrodollar loans from Middle Eastern financiers.
His resignation from cabinet in October 1975 precipitated the constitutional crisis which resulted in Whitlam's dismissal a month later.