Eric Elliott Reece politician, was a member of parliament 1946 - 1975 and Premier of Tasmania 1958 - 1969 and 1972 - 1975. He was born at the gold-mining town of Mathinna and educated at Mathinna, Queenstown and Invermay state schools and Launceston Technical College.;;In 1934 Reece found work at the Mount Lyell copper mine after 4 years' unemployment. He joined the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) and in 1935 was appointed Union Organiser for the West Coast District. He continued in that capacity until 1946. He helped establish a branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at Queenstown and attended ALP state conferences as an AWU delegate. ;;In 1936 Reece married Alice Lucy Hanigan and between 1937 and 1941 the couple had four children. As a Labor candidate at the 1946 state election he won the House of Assembly seat of Darwin (later Braddon, now part of Lyons). On entering parliament, he was appointed Honorary Minister for Housing. In 1947 he became Minister for Mines - a portfolio that he was to hold for the rest of his time in government.;;As Premier from 1958 to 1969, Reece oversaw a period of economic growth and state development including legislation for the first legal casino in Australia. His championing of the Hydro-Electric Commission and the expansion of hydro-electricity schemes earned him the nickname 'Electric Eric'. After Labor lost the 1969 election, Reece led the party in Opposition until 1972 when Labor was overwhelmingly re-elected to government. He retired from government in March 1975.