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Published Biographies of Sir Edgar Layton Bean

Patricia Sumerling, 'Bean, Sir Edgar Layton (1893–1977)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bean-sir-edgar-layton-9459/text16637, published first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 7 May 2018.

State Library of South Australia
https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+7052

Additional Biography

Early Life

Edgar Layton (Ted) Bean was born 15th October 1893 at Moonee Ponds, Victoria, the son of George Alfred Bean and Amelia Florence Bean nee Davey. Ted’s father was an accountant with the Lands Department and a well known cricketer.

Ted’s siblings were Alan Reid Bean (born 1895, Essendon, Victoria) and Hilda Florence Bean (born 1897, Adelaide, Victoria).

By late 1903 the family had moved to Kalgoorlie, WA where George was briefly in the firm Bean and Shaw, he later commenced working for Dalgetys.

Education

Ted was educated at Kalgoolie Central School from at least 1904. He was third in Standard VI in 1904 and passed his Primary Examinations in September 1905.

Ted was at Scotch College, Perth from 1906 to 1910. He passed his Junior Examinations in 1906, Senior Examinations in 1907 and Higher Public Examinations in 1909. He topped the list of candidates for the Higher Public Examinations and won a number of scholarships to assist him in studying at Adelaide University.

In January 1911 he played cricket for Municipals against the Bohemians in a match in Kalgoorlie, playing alongside his father.

University

Ted studied a Bachalor of Arts at the University of Adelaide, graduating BA (Hons) in 1913. Ted won the Barr Smith prize for Greek (1911) and a David Murray scholarship (1913). He was granted free passage to England from the University of Adelaide in 1914 and entered Merton College, Oxford to read classics, graduating BA in 1919 and MA (in absentia) in 1922. After returning from Europe after World War 1, he studied Law at the University of Adelaide, graduating LLB in 1922.

Adelaide University Sport

Cricket

Ted had cricket in his blood. His father George and Uncle Ernie were prominent cricketers with the North Melbourne Cricket Club. Uncle Ernie played first class cricket for Victoria and later became a long serving administrator and Australian Test Selector. Despite the cricket heritage, Ted however did inherit his uncle's skills and only managed to play B grade cricket for the Adelaide University Cricket Club during the 1912/13 and 1913/14 seasons. He did manage to play a match or two along-side his brother Alan. In the match in January 1913 against Sturt, where the team was soundly beaten, he was involved in a run-out with his brother in the 2nd innings.

World War I

While in England, Ted joined the 47th (London) Division of the Royal Field Artillery (a British trench mortar battery) in 1915 and served in France where he was wounded in action. Initially having the rank of Corporal, he served for four years and later received a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant.

After the war, he returned to Australia after completing his studies at Oxford. Ted’s brother, Alan Reid Bean studied medicine at Adelaide University, graduating in 1917. He had then served in the Australian Army Medical Corp from February 1918 to July 1920.

Career and Family Life

In 1920, Ted joined the Crown Solicitor’s Department as a clerk. He was granted Exemption from the Rule regarding article clerks to allow him to continue working as a civil servant during the period of his articles. He was twice awarded the Stow Prize for Law.

Ted was admitted to the South Australian Bar on 21st April 1923 after the completion of his law degree. He was appointed assistant Parliamentary Draftsman in July 1923.

Ted married Constance Mary Greenlees in on 8 April 1926 (b. 1902). The couple had two sons, John Layton Bean, was born on the 20th April 1927 and Malcolm James Layton Bean born 24 September 1931.

In 1926 he became the SA Parliamentary Draftsman a position he held until 1959, framing approximately 15,000 Bills.

Ted and Constance lived at Northumberland Street, Tusmore and later at 18 Jasper Street, Hyde Park where Ted was an active member of the Hyde Park Tennis Club.

During his career he sat on numerous committees and boards including Minda Home where his son John was a resident. He also held directorships with Southern Television Corporation Ltd and News Limited. Ted’s photograph appeared in the SA Newspapers regularly as a result of his many commitments.

World War II

Ted enlisted in the Australian Military Forces on 24th March 1942 and was promoted to Lieutenant in July 1942. He served with the 3rd Battalion of the Volunteer Defence Group until 6 November 1944.

Ted continued in his role as Parliamentary Draftsman throughout WWII. By that time the Bean family had moved to 128 Burnside Road, Burnside and Ted’s parents appear to have been living with the family. Ted’s father passed away on the 18th December 1941 and his mother passed away May 1943. They are both buried at the Mitcham General Cemetery, Old Belair Road, Mitcham.

Post World War II

On the 21st April 1948 Ted gathered for a reunion lunch with S.C.G. Wright, J.E. Ashton and J.L.S. Treloar to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their admission to the bar.

Ted was said to have held an “extraordinary influence” over Sir Thomas Playford, SA’s longest serving Premier and was classified as his unofficial right-hand man. For his services to the State he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1937 and knighted in the New Year’s honours in January 1955.

Death

Edgar Layton Bean died on 28 July 1977 in Leabrook, SA, his ashes are interred at Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide.

Constance Mary Bean passed away in 1996, aged 94 years.

Legacy

John Layton Bean passed away on the 24th September 1988, aged 60.

Malcolm James Layton Bean studied dentistry at Adelaide University and gained his B.D.S. in 1954. He passed away on the 13th May 1917, aged 85 years.

Author EE (Beth) Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.

Bean, Sir Edgar Layton (1893–1977) by Patricia Sumerling

Sir Edgar Layton Bean (1893-1977), parliamentary draftsman, was born on 15 October 1893 at Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, son of George Alfred Bean, accountant, and his wife Amelia Florence, née Davey, both Victorian born. Educated at Scotch College, Perth (1906-10), Ted enrolled at the University of Adelaide (B.A., 1913) where he had a brilliant career: he won the Barr Smith prize for Greek (1911) and a David Murray scholarship (1913). Having obtained through the university a free passage to travel to England, in 1914 he entered Merton College, Oxford, to read classics (B.A., 1919; M.A., 1922). World War I interrupted his studies: he enlisted in the British Army in August 1915, served in France with the Royal Field Artillery and was wounded in action.

After the war Bean returned to Adelaide. In 1920 he joined the Crown Solicitor's Department as a clerk and began a degree in law at his old university (LL.B., 1922); he was admitted to the South Australian Bar on 21 April 1923. From 1922 he had been an associate of Justice Poole of the Supreme Court of South Australia. On 8 April 1926 at Chalmers Congregational Church, Adelaide, Bean married Constance Mary Greenlees. Appointed that year as the State's parliamentary draftsman, he was to hold the post until 1959 and to frame some 1500 bills.

Although he was reputedly South Australia's finest parliamentary draftsman and possibly the best in the country, his greatest achievement was in editing, with J. P. Cartledge, the nine volumes of The Public General Acts of South Australia, 1837-1936 (1937-40). Bean was appointed C.M.G. in 1937. In addition to being a member of the South Australian Government Superannuation Fund Board (1928-62) and of the State Public Service Board (1942-51), he chaired the local government commission (1930-34), the Insurance Premiums Committee, the education inquiry committee (1942-49) and the Teachers' Salaries Board (1946-64); he was also a director of Southern Television Corporation Ltd (1960-70) and of News Ltd. A member of the board (1960-71) of the Minda Home for Weak-Minded Children, he had become involved when his eldest son John went to live there.

On 25 March 1942 Bean was mobilized in the Australian Military Forces; promoted lieutenant in July, he served in the 3rd Battalion of the Volunteer Defence Corps before resigning in November 1944. He was knighted in 1955. Few people knew him intimately. Shy, well organized and neatly dressed, he was regarded as a 'workaholic'. Gilbert Seaman thought that Bean had the best and the clearest brain of all of his colleagues: 'he was not a harsh realist . . . he had the personal touch'. As (Sir) Thomas Playford's unofficial 'right-hand man', Bean exercised an extraordinary influence on the premier and was one of the few who were with Playford throughout his political career. They talked issues over and went fishing together; because Playford was largely self-educated, their friendship resembled that of pupil and teacher, with Playford the pupil.

Bean liked reading and walking. He belonged to the Pickwick, the Adelaide, and the Naval, Military and Air Force clubs, and joined the Eucalypts, an exclusive club of twelve members whose objectives were to promote truth, good fellowship, brotherly love and wisdom. The group met monthly in one another's homes for a ceremonious pipe and coffee, and to hear and discuss papers about literature, history or philosophy. Those read by Bean show his liberal ideals. Survived by his wife and two sons, Sir Edgar died at Leabrook on 28 July 1977 and was cremated.