Jim Bacon, 54; Left Tasmanian Premier’s Post in February
Jim Bacon, 54, the former premier of the Australian state of Tasmania, died Sunday in Canberra of lung cancer.
Michael Field, another former premier of the island state, called it “a sad day for the state.” Bacon had resigned in February when his cancer was first diagnosed. He had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.
Bacon, who represented the Labor Party, first became Tasmania’s premier in 1998 and won a second term with an increased majority in July 2002.
He was credited with turning around the state’s economy and infusing citizens with a renewed optimism about the future.
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