Felix Dittmer

Dr Felix Dittmer
Senator for Queensland
In office
1 July 1959 – 30 June 1971
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Mount Gravatt
In office
29 April 1950 – 3 August 1957
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byGraham Hart
Personal details
Born(1904-06-27)27 June 1904
Dugandan, Queensland
Died29 August 1977(1977-08-29) (aged 73)
Brisbane, Queensland
Resting placeMt Gravatt Cemetery
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLabor
SpouseMinnie Elizabeth Crow
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
University of Sydney
OccupationDoctor

Felix Cyril Sigismund Dittmer (27 June 1904 – 29 August 1977)[1] was an Australian politician.[2]

Early life

Felix Cyril Sigismund Dittmer was born on 27 June 1904 in Dugandan, Queensland, the son of Gustav Dittmer and his wife Marie Farris (née Massie). His father was a chemist born in Germany.[3]

His primary schooling was at St Mary's Convent School in Bowen and Childers State School.[4] He attended Childers State High School, where he achieved the highest results of any student being dux and winning prizes in all his subjects. He completed his secondary schooling at St Joseph's College, Nudgee in Brisbane. He was the first student from the Isis district to be awarded a university scholarship.[5] Later he studied at the University of Queensland and the University of Sydney, becoming a doctor. He was an honorary surgeon in Brisbane.[6]

Dittmer practised in Proserpine (1932–1940) and Brisbane (1940–1943), becoming an ear, nose and throat specialist. He enlisted in the Australian Military Forces in August 1943 and served with the Australian Army Medical Corps until February 1946, when he moved to the Army Reserve. While living in North Queensland, Dittmer bought a gold mine in the Whitsunday Region. He established Dittmer Gold Mines Limited and the town of Dittmer grew up around the mine; the company was liquidated in 1952.[3]

Politics

Dittmer was president of the Graceville branch of the ALP. He first stood for parliament at a 1943 Queensland Legislative Assembly by-election in the seat of Oxley. He also stood at the 1944 state election.[3] In 1950, Dittmer was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Mount Gravatt;[2] he briefly served as state deputy Labor leader in 1957. He lost his seat in the 1957 state election,[2] but in 1958, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator for Queensland. He remained in the Senate until his retirement in 1970, taking effect in 1971.[6]

Later life

Dittmer died in 1977 and is buried in Mount Gravatt Cemetery.[7]

References

  1. ^ Dittmer, Felix Cyril Sigismund (1904–1977) — Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Dittmer, Dr Felix Cyril Sigismund — Government of Queensland. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Daniels, Lou (2010). "Dittmer, Felix Cyril Sigismund (1904–1977)". The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Social". Bowen Independent. Queensland. 5 January 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2015 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "An [sic] Unique Record". Bowen Independent. Queensland. 17 January 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2015 – via Trove.
  6. ^ a b Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  7. ^ Dittmer Felix Archived 22 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 22 January 2015.

 

Parliament of Queensland
New seat Member for Mount Gravatt
1950–1957 		Succeeded by