FACTBOX: Five key facts about Australia's John Howard

(Reuters) - Australia's conservative Prime Minister John Howard on Sunday announced national elections on Nov 24.

Here are five key facts about Howard.

-- John Winston Howard was born in Sydney on July 26, 1939, and grew up in the city's suburbs, where his father ran an auto garage. He is the only Liberal Party prime minister to have been educated at government schools. His father died when Howard was in high school. Howard studied law at Sydney University and worked as a solicitor in Sydney.

-- Howard became active in Liberal Party politics when he was 18, and worked on several political campaigns before winning his Sydney seat of Bennelong at national elections in 1974. He has held Bennelong for 33 years.

-- In December 1975, Howard became a minister at the age of 36. He went on to become Treasurer in Malcolm Fraser's government, delivering five federal budgets before Fraser lost office in 1983.

-- Howard became leader of the Liberal Party in opposition in 1985 and led the party to an election defeat in 1987. After the loss, Howard's approval rating fell to a low of 18 percent, prompting a magazine to run a front page asking: "Why on earth does this man bother?"

-- Howard was elected unopposed as Liberal Party leader in January 1995 and went on to win power in 1996, winning the following three elections and holding office for 11 years. He is Australia's second-longest serving prime minister.