Gorton created the formal title Deputy Prime Minister for McEwen, confirming his status as the second-ranking member of the government.
 Prior to then, the title had been used informally for whoever was recognised as the second-ranking member of the government – the leader of the Country Party when the Coalition was in government, and Labor's deputy leader when Labor was in government.
Even before being formally named Deputy Prime Minister, McEwen had exercised an effective veto over government policy since 1966 by virtue of being the most senior member of the government, having been a member of the Coalition frontbench without interruption since 1937.

McEwen retired from politics in 1971.
In the same year, Clifton Pugh won the Archibald Prize for a portrait of McEwen.
At the time of his resignation, he had served 36 years and 5 months, including 34 years as either a minister or opposition frontbencher.
He was the last serving parliamentarian from the Great Depression era, and hence the last parliamentary survivor of the Lyons government.
By the time of his death, Malcolm Fraser's government was abandoning McEwenite trade policies.
Gorton created the formal title Deputy Prime Minister for McEwen, confirming his status as the second-ranking member of the government.  Prior to then, the title had been used informally for whoever was recognised as the second-ranking member of the government – the leader of the Country Party when the Coalition was in government, and Labor's deputy leader when Labor was in government. Even before being formally named Deputy Prime Minister, McEwen had exercised an effective veto over government policy since 1966 by virtue of being the most senior member of the government, having been a member of the Coalition frontbench without interruption since 1937.
McEwen retired from politics in 1971. In the same year, Clifton Pugh won the Archibald Prize for a portrait of McEwen. At the time of his resignation, he had served 36 years and 5 months, including 34 years as either a minister or opposition frontbencher. He was the last serving parliamentarian from the Great Depression era, and hence the last parliamentary survivor of the Lyons government. By the time of his death, Malcolm Fraser's government was abandoning McEwenite trade policies.
John McEwen