Born in Mooroopna, Victoria, he was educated at state schools and was a volunteer firefighter in his home town,[1] before serving in the military from 1945 to 1947, after which he became a sports journalist and broadcaster.

In 1960, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Bendigo, narrowly winning a by-election for that seat that followed the death of Percy Clarey.

[2] Melbourne newspaper The Age later reported that his 133-vote winning margin was probably because of the donkey vote, but his personal following grew steadily “until it reached about 1500 in 1966, a time when Labor’s Australia-wide vote was at an all-time low.”[3] During his time in Parliament he became a leading contributor on petrochemical policy,[4] served as Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, wrote regional development into Labor policy [5] and was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War.

[5] After retiring from political office, Beaton returned to journalism, running the editorial side of regional daily newspaper the Bendigo Advertiser during the early 1970s.

In that role, he helped to rescue the city's historic town hall from planned demolition, with a front-page article that caused angry public protests.