Anthony remained in parliament for less than a year before retiring from politics in 1984.

By then,
although only 55, he was the Father of the House of Representatives. He returned to his farm near
Murwillumbah and generally stayed out of politics.[31] In 1996, Larry Anthony won his father's old
seat.[32]
In 1994, Anthony appeared in a documentary series about the Liberal Party in which he revealed
that McMahon had refused to tell him beforehand the date of the 1972 election, despite Anthony
being the Country Party leader. During 1999, Anthony spoke in support of Australia becoming a
republic.[33]
Anthony died at an aged care home in Murwillumbah, on 20 December 2020, at the age of 90, 11
days before his 91st birthday.[34] Until his death, he was the earliest-elected Country MP still
alive,[35] and along with his deputy and successor as National Party leader, Ian Sinclair, he was one
of the last two surviving ministers who served in the Menzies Government and the First Holt
Ministry.[36]