John Cain

John Cain (26 April 1931 – 23 December 2019) was an Australian politician who was the 41st Premier of Victoria, in office from 1982 to 1990 as leader of the Labor Party. During his time as premier, reforms were introduced such as liberalised shop trading hours and liquor laws, equal opportunity initiatives, and occupational health and safety legislation. Early life Cain was born in Northcote, Victoria, where his father, John Cain, the leader of the Australian Labor Party in Victoria from 1937 to 1957 and three times premier, was the local member. His mother ran a successful chain of millinery stores in the inner north of Melbourne. He lived at 25 James Street Northcote and was educated at Bell Primary School, Northcote High School, Scotch College, Melbourne, and at the University of Melbourne, where he graduated in law in 1952. He practised law in suburban Melbourne, and was president of the Law Institute of Victoria in 1972–73. He was also a member of the Law Council of Australia and a member of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Cain was 24 at the time of the 1955 split in the Labor Party that brought down his father's last government. He lost a preselection battle with Frank Wilkes for his father's seat of Northcote after his father died in 1957.