predecessor parliament successor birth_place constituency_mp death_date death_place religion nationality party birth_date term_start image article_title term_end name occupation
albert palmer australian john mcewen dunolly , victoria echuca 15 november 1939 nar nar goon , victoria anglican australian australian country party 14 april 1866 20 september 1919 william caldwell hill.jpg william hill -lrb- australian politician -rrb-
 7 august 1934 william hill farmer
william hill -lrb- australian politician -rrb-

william caldwell hill -lrb- 14 april 1866 -- 15 november 1939 -rrb- , was a long serving member of the australian house of representatives .
born at burnt creek , near dunolly , victoria , hill was educated at state schools before working as a railwayman , station master and wheat farmer .
on 20 september 1919 , at the by-election caused by the death of albert palmer , he won the house of representatives division of echuca as a victorian farmers ' union candidate .
in 1920 he helped form the country party .
from 8 august 1924 to 29 november 1928 he was minister for works and railways in the bruce -- page government .
during his period of office he commenced the standardisation of the railway gauges by the construction of the north coast railway line from kyogle , to south brisbane , the construction of the rail line from oodnadatta , south australia , to alice springs by commonwealth railways , the introduction of a federal aid road scheme -- which provided funding to the states for road construction -- and the building of the hume dam , which he promoted as president of the inter-governmental river murray water commission .
he retired from parliament on 7 august 1934 , because he was unwilling to sign a pledge to vote in parliament as instructed by his party , and he was succeeded as the member for echuca by john mcewen , future leader of the federal country party .
hill died at nar nar goon , survived by his wife bella and by six children .
