What are the details of John Curtin political career?

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1. Guest4206
   

   He stood for Parliament several times before winning the federal seat of Fremantle in 1928. He was expected to be chosen as a minister in James Scullin's Labor cabinet when it was formed after the 1929 election, but disapproval of his drinking kept him on the back bench. He lost his seat in 1931, but won it back in 1934. After the loss Curtin became the advocate for the Western Australian Government with the Commonwealth Grants Commission.
   When Scullin resigned as Labor leader in 1935, Curtin was unexpectedly elected (by just one vote) to succeed him. The left wing and trade union group in the Caucus backed him because his better known rival, Frank Forde, had supported the economic policies of the Scullin administration. This group also made him promises to give up drinking, which he did. He made little progress against Joseph Lyons' government (which was returned to office at the 1937 election by a comfortable margin); but after Lyons' death in 1939, Labor's position improved. Curtin fell only a few seats short of winning the 1940 election. In that election, Curtin's own seat of Fremantle was in doubt; F. R Lee appeared to have won the seat, and it was not until final counting of preferential votes that Curtin knew he had won the seat.

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