The eldest of the two children of Fredrick and Martha Whitlam, Edward Gough Whitlam (formerly Gough Whitlam) was born in the Melbourne district of Kew on 11 July 1916. When the Andrew Fisher government set up the Federal Land Tax Office in 1911, Frederick Whitlam (Gough's dad) united with the Commonwealth Public Service and worked at the tax office which built his connection to the government. Gough Whitlam was enrolled at the University of Sydney in 1935. Where he completed an arts degree and began a law degree. On 8 December 1941, the day Japanese airplanes attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Whitlam registered with the Royal Australian Air Force. Whitlam served as a pilot and was steady for a majority of the war at Gove, on the eastern Arnhem Land coast of the Northern Territory. Family life and Early political career (1945-1952)By 1947 the Whitlam family had two small children. Whitlam stood for the local government election for the Sutherland Shire Council in 1948, for the Sutherland seat in the New South Wales parliament in 1950. Most of Whitlam's campaigning was done door-to-door in the rapidly growing south eastern suburbs. Although he was not elected to any seat, the campaigning and elections made him a renowned local figure.
Early Political Career.
Member of Parliament for Werriwa (1952) Whitlam also stood for the federal seat of Werriwa at a by-election in November 1952.Whitlam won the seat with a record breaking margin of 34 per cent. On 17 February 1953 Whitlam became a member of Australia's 20th parliament. In 1955 the Labor party split ,the non-communist dividend became the Democratic Labor Party The western section, covering the Sydney suburbs of Liverpool, Cabramatta and Fairfield, retained the name Werriwa and became Whitlam's new electorate.
Political Career.
Deputy party leader (1960-1967) and Leader of opposition Whitlam said 'a more global and less selfish attitude' would provide a better long-term outcome for Australia.