Robert Ross McDonald
| The Honourable Sir Robert Ross McDonald QC |
|
|---|---|
| Leader of the Liberal Party[lower-alpha 1] in Western Australia |
|
| In office 13 April 1938 – 14 December 1946 |
|
| Preceded by | Norbert Keenan |
| Succeeded by | Ross McLarty |
| Attorney-General of Western Australia | |
| In office 1 April 1947 – 5 January 1948 |
|
| Preceded by | Hubert Parker |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Abbott |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia |
|
| In office 8 April 1933 – 23 March 1950 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Davy |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Totterdell |
| Constituency | West Perth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 January 1888 Albany, Western Australia, Australia |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia |
| Political party | Nationalist (to 1945) Liberal (from 1945) |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide |
| Occupation | Barrister |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Sir Robert Ross McDonald QC (25 January 1888 – 25 March 1964) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1933 to 1950, representing the seat of West Perth. He served as leader of the Nationalist Party from 1938 to 1945, and of the Liberal Party (its successor) from 1945 to 1946, during the period when those were the junior partner in the coalition with the Country Party.
McDonald was born in Albany, Western Australia, where his father had been a bank manager. He boarded at Scotch College, Perth, and then studied law by correspondence at the University of Adelaide. He was called to bar in 1910. McDonald enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916, and later served as a lower-level officer with various artillery units in France and Belgium. He had reached the rank of lieutenant by the end of the war. On his return to Australia in 1919, McDonald joined the law firm of Robert Thomson Robinson (a fellow Albany native), eventually becoming a partner. He served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Western Australia from 1928 to 1931, and was also the foundation vice-president of the Australian branch of the International Commission of Jurists.[1]
At the 1933 state election, McDonald stood as the Nationalist candidate for West Perth, and was elected in spite of his party's landslide defeat.[lower-alpha 2][2] The Nationalists were reduced to just eight seats of 50, becoming only the third-largest party in parliament (behind Labor and the Country Party). Norbert Keenan succeeded the former premier James Mitchell as the party's leader, but McDonald soon became one of the party's most prominent MPs, due to his debating style. When Keenan, aged 74, resigned as leader in April 1938, McDonald was elected in his place. The Nationalists had failed to gain any seats at the 1936 election, and the Country Party (under leaders of the opposition Charles Latham and Arthur Watts) would remain the senior party in the coalition throughout McDonald's period as leadership.[3]
In 1944 and 1945, McDonald was involved in the affiliation of Western Australia's Nationalist Party to the new federal Liberal Party, and the corresponding name change. He resigned as leader of the Liberal Party in December 1946, in favour of Ross McLarty, with the belief that the party would be better served by a leader from a rural constituency.[3] After the 1947 state election, which saw the return of a coalition government, McDonald was appointed Attorney-General, Minister for Police, and Minister for Native Affairs in the new McLarty–Watts ministry. After a cabinet reshuffle in January 1948, his titles became Minister for Native Affairs, Minister for Housing, and Minister for Forestry. McDonald resigned from the ministry in October 1949 and from parliament at the 1950 election, and was knighted in June 1950 for his services. After leaving politics, he served as a member of the senate of the University of Western Australia (from 1950 to 1961) and as chairman of Royal Perth Hospital (from 1956 to 1960).[1]
Notes
- ↑ Known as the Nationalist Party until 1945.
- ↑ The previous member, Thomas Davy, had died in office only months before the election, but no by-election was held.
References
| Parliament of Western Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member for West Perth 1933–1950 |
Succeeded by Joseph Totterdell |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney-General 1947–1948 |
Succeeded by Arthur Abbott |
| Preceded by | Minister for Police 1947–1948 |
Succeeded by Hubert Parker |
| New creation | Minister for Native Affairs 1947–1949 |
Succeeded by Hubert Parker |
| Preceded by | Minister for Housing 1948–1949 |
Succeeded by Arthur Watts |
| Preceded by | Minister for Forests 1948–1949 |
Succeeded by Ross McLarty |
- Use Australian English from March 2016
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Use dmy dates from March 2016
- 1888 births
- 1964 deaths
- Attorneys-General of Western Australia
- Australian Army officers
- Australian barristers
- Australian Knights Bachelor
- Australian military personnel of World War I
- Australian Presbyterians
- Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery
- Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
- Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia
- People from Albany, Western Australia
- People educated at Scotch College, Perth
- University of Adelaide alumni
- University of Western Australia faculty
- Australian Queen's Counsel
