Eric Decker (Australian politician)

Eric Decker
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Sandgate
In office 29 March 1941 – 7 March 1953
Preceded by	Ronald Hislop
Succeeded by	Herbert Robinson
Personal details
Born	Eric Paul Decker 22 November 1896 Roma, Queensland, Australia
Died	7 July 1970 (aged 73) Sandgate, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party
Other political affiliations	Queensland People's Party, Country Party
Spouse(s)	Eden Templeton Kemp (m.1926 d.1990)
Occupation	Real estate agent
Religion	Church of England

Eric Paul Decker (22 November 1896 – 7 July 1970) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.^[1]

Biography

Decker was born at Roma, Queensland, the son of Edward Herman Decker and his wife Kate (née Johnson). He was educated at Queensland state schools and went on to the Brisbane Grammar School. After finishing his education he went into the real estate industry.

He joined the First Australian Imperial Force in 1916, and was appointed a lance corporal in June 1917 and wounded in August 1917. He was wounded again in May 1918 and discharged the following year.

On the 18th September 1926 he married Eden Templeton Kemp (died 1990)^[2] and together had a son and a daughter. A keen fisherman, Decker and a friend, George Mulvena, were fishing off Sandgate when their dinghy capsized and both men drowned. He was cremated at the Albany Creek Crematorium.^[2]

Public career

Decker was an alderman on the Brisbane City Council, representing the ward of Sandgate from 1931 to 1941. He was Chairman of the works committee from 1939 until 1940.

He won the seat of Sandgate for the Country Party at the 1941 Queensland state election, defeating the sitting member, Ronald Hislop of the Labor Party.^[3] He would later be a member of the Queensland People's Party and the Liberal Party. He represented Sandgate until the 1953 Queensland state election where in a surprise result was beaten by Labor candidate Herbert Robinson.^[4]

References

1. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
2. Eric Paul Decker ( - 1970) — Heaven Address. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
3. "HOW STATE VOTED FOR NEW PARLIAMENT". The Courier-mail (3310). Queensland, Australia. 17 April 1944. p. 4. Retrieved 13 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "NEW COMERS TO HOUSE". The Courier-mail (5078). Queensland, Australia. 9 March 1953. p. 5. Retrieved 13 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.