Gorton, Bettina (c. 1916–1983)
Gorton, Bettina (c. 1916–1983)
Australian prime-ministerial wife. Born Bettina Edith Brown, c. 1916, in Maine, USA; died Oct 2, 1983; degree in languages from the Sorbonne, Paris; also had an honors degree in Asian Studies; m. John Gorton (19th prime minister of Australia, 1968–71), Feb 15, 1935; children: Joanna (b. 1937), Michael (b. 1938), and Robin (b. 1941).
An American who also became an Australian citizen (1967), was the only prime-ministerial wife who held duel citizenship; ran the family's orchard farm; worked as a research assistant at the Australian National University, compiling an English-Malay dictionary; created the garden of Australian native plants, now named for her, on the grounds of The Lodge (the official prime-ministerial residence); with her Indonesian language skills, made valuable contributions to Australia's relations with neighboring countries.