John Howard

John Winston Howard (26 July 1939—) is a former Australian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Australia from 1996-2007. 

Born in Sydney, Howard studied law at the University of Sydney before entering commercial practice. President of the Young Liberals, Howard was elected MP for Bennelong in 1974 and rose to a cabinet position in 1977. He was first elected leader of the Liberal Party in 1985, and after being removed from the position in 1989 found himself re-elected in 1995.

Howard is a Christian and stands against euthanasia (PM Transcripts, 1996). He was Prime Minister when the Federal Parliament overturned the Northern Territory's pioneering euthanasia law by banning territories from legislating on the issue, and again overrode the rights of the Territory to self-govern when he instigated the 'Intervention' into Indigenous communities in 2007. 

After his government's defeat in the 2007 election, Howard left politics. He has written an autobiography - Lazarus Rising: A Personal and Political Autobiography (HarperCollins, 2010) - and in 2017 endorsed the campaign against legalising same-sex marriage in Australia. 

PM Transcripts. (1996). Questions and answers - Liberal Party South Australian State Council. https://pmtranscripts.pmc.gov.au/release/transcript-10072