Arthur Coles
| Sir Arthur William Coles | |
|---|---|
| 65th Lord Mayor of Melbourne | |
|
In office 1938–1940 |
|
| Preceded by | Sir Edward Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Sir Francis Beaurepaire |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
7 August 1892 Geelong, Australia |
| Died | 14 June 1982 (aged 89) Melbourne, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Independent |
Sir Arthur William Coles (7 August 1892 – 14 June 1982) was a prominent Australian businessman and philanthropist, a son of St James, Victoria shopkeeper George W. Coles (died 1932).
With his brothers George James "G.J." (1885–1977), Kenneth Frank "K.F." (1896 –1985), Edgar Barton "E.B." (1899–1981), and Norman Cameron "N.C." Coles (1907–1989), A. W. Coles founded Coles Variety Stores in the 1920s, which was to become Coles Group, one of the two largest supermarket chains in Australia.
He served as Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 1938 to 1940.
In 1940 he was elected to the federal parliament as an Independent from Henty. With Alexander Wilson), he held the balance of power, at first keeping the UAP-National government in office, but in 1941 switching sides to install a new Australian Labor Party government.
In 1946 Coles was appointed chair of the Australian National Airways Commission, which founded Trans Australian Airlines (later known as Australian Airlines, which became the domestic arm of Qantas).
Arthur Coles was born in Geelong, Victoria and educated at the elite private school The Geelong College. When World War I began, Coles enlisted as a private, fighting at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in France, and was wounded on three occasions before being commissioned as a lieutenant.
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