James Menzies (Australian politician) James Menzies (Australian politician) James Menzies (9 August 18621 November 1945) was an Australian businessman and politician who served in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1911 to 1920, representing the district of Lowan. Before entering politics, he ran the general store in Jeparit, Victoria. He was the father of Robert Menzies, the longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia. Menzies was born in Ballarat West, Victoria, one of the nine surviving children of Elizabeth (née Band) and Robert Menzies. His parents were both Scottish immigrants, meeting soon after their arrival in Australia in 1854 and marrying the following year. His father –
Prime Minister of Portugal elections, after having heard the parties represented in the Parliament. Usually, the person named is the leader of the largest party in the previous election, but there have been exceptions over the years. Since the Middle Ages, some officers of the Portuguese Crown gained precedence over the others, serving as a kind of prime ministers. Over time, the role of principal officer of the Crown fell upon the "chanceler-mor" (chancellor), the "mordomo-mor" (mayor of the palace) and the "escrivão da puridade" (king's private secretary). The first modern prime minister of Portugal was Pedro de Sousa Holstein, Marquess of Palmela, who