Gorton spent his early years living with his maternal grandparents in Port Melbourne, as his parents were frequently away on business trips.
When he was about four years old, his parents took him to live with them in Sydney, where they had an apartment at Edgecliff.
Gorton began his education at Edgecliff Preparatory School.
When he was eight years old, his mother contracted tuberculosis and was sent to a sanatorium to avoid passing on the disease.
She died in September 1920, aged 32.
Gorton's grieving father sent his son to live with his estranged wife Kathleen.
There, he met his sister Ruth for the first time; he had previously been told that she was dead.
Although she was his full sibling, she had been raised by Kathleen since birth, and rarely saw her biological parents.
Gorton initially lived with Kathleen and Ruth at their home in Cronulla.
They later moved into a larger house in Killara, in the north of Sydney.

While living in Killara, Gorton began attending Headfort College, a short-lived private school run by a former Anglican minister.
In 1924, he began boarding at Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore), initially on a weekly basis but later on a full-time one.
He did not excel academically, failing the Intermediate Certificate on his first attempt, but was a well-liked boy and good at sports.
Gorton began spending his holidays with his father, who had purchased a property in Mystic Park, Victoria, and planted a citrus orchard.
He left Shore at the end of 1926, and the following year began boarding at Geelong Grammar School, which he would attend for four years from 1927–30.
He represented the school in athletics, football, and rowing, and in his final year was a school prefect and house captain.
Gorton spent his early years living with his maternal grandparents in Port Melbourne, as his parents were frequently away on business trips. When he was about four years old, his parents took him to live with them in Sydney, where they had an apartment at Edgecliff. Gorton began his education at Edgecliff Preparatory School. When he was eight years old, his mother contracted tuberculosis and was sent to a sanatorium to avoid passing on the disease. She died in September 1920, aged 32. Gorton's grieving father sent his son to live with his estranged wife Kathleen. There, he met his sister Ruth for the first time; he had previously been told that she was dead. Although she was his full sibling, she had been raised by Kathleen since birth, and rarely saw her biological parents. Gorton initially lived with Kathleen and Ruth at their home in Cronulla. They later moved into a larger house in Killara, in the north of Sydney.
While living in Killara, Gorton began attending Headfort College, a short-lived private school run by a former Anglican minister. In 1924, he began boarding at Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore), initially on a weekly basis but later on a full-time one. He did not excel academically, failing the Intermediate Certificate on his first attempt, but was a well-liked boy and good at sports. Gorton began spending his holidays with his father, who had purchased a property in Mystic Park, Victoria, and planted a citrus orchard. He left Shore at the end of 1926, and the following year began boarding at Geelong Grammar School, which he would attend for four years from 1927–30. He represented the school in athletics, football, and rowing, and in his final year was a school prefect and house captain.
John Gorton