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MacDONALD, Allan Nicoll (1892–1978)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1935–47 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MacDONALD, Allan Nicoll (1892–1978)
Senator for Western Australia, 1935–47 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)

Allan Nicoll MacDonald was a youthful migrant to Australia and a survivor of Gallipoli. Both these experiences clearly informed his political activities and attitudes as a senator. The son of Alexander McDonald, the retired manager of a jute mill at Gourapore, India, and his wife Helen Christie, née Nicoll, he was born at Lochee, Dundee, Scotland, on 25 August 1892. (His father’s name appears

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MacDONALD, John Valentine (1880–1937)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1922, 1928, 1932–37 (Australian Labor Party; Federal Labor Party)</span>

MacDONALD, John Valentine (1880–1937)
Senator for Queensland, 1922, 1928, 1932–37 (Australian Labor Party; Federal Labor Party)

John Valentine MacDonald, journalist, was born on 14 February 1880 in Opotiki, New Zealand. He was the son of Norman, policeman and farmer, and Alice, née Davis, and grandson, on the paternal side, of John, a pioneer of the Victorian pastoral industry. MacDonald attended briefly state schools in New Zealand and New South Wales. From the age of eight he accompanied his nomadic father and

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MACFARLANE, James (1844–1914)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1901–10 (Free Trade)</span>

MACFARLANE, James (1844–1914)
Senator for Tasmania, 1901–10 (Free Trade)

James Macfarlane, shipowner, was born in Glasgow on 2 September 1844, the son of Andrew, a surveyor, and Lillias, née Alexander. James was educated in Glasgow and at the Bruce Castle School near London. He then worked for eight years with Redfern, Alexander and Company, shipowners and merchants of London. His brother John worked in the same firm. In 1870, the brothers migrated to

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MacGIBBON, David John (1934– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1978–99 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MacGIBBON, David John (1934– )
Senator for Queensland, 1978–99 (Liberal Party of Australia)

David John MacGibbon was born on 13 May 1934 in Brisbane, Queensland, son of Frederick William MacGibbon, cane grower and accountant, and his wife Eva Nicholson, née Ewart. He was educated at Maryborough High School and the University of Queensland, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Dental Science, winning the Carlisle C Bastian Prize and the Mary Moffatt Memorial Prize in 1956. MacGibbon

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MACKELLAR, Charles Kinnaird (1844–1926)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1903 (Protectionist)</span>

MACKELLAR, Charles Kinnaird (1844–1926)
Senator for New South Wales, 1903 (Protectionist)

Described affectionately as ‘the children’s friend’, Sir Charles Kinnaird Mackellar was a practical philanthropist whose life work involved the care of the ‘helpless, homeless and friendless’. A physician, businessman and social reformer, Mackellar was born in Sydney on 5 December 1844, the son of Frederick Mackellar, a distinguished medical practitioner, and Isabella McGarvie, née Robertson. After completing his education at Sydney Grammar School, Mackellar

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MACKLIN, Michael John (1943– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1981–90 (Australian Democrats)</span>

MACKLIN, Michael John (1943– )
Senator for Queensland, 1981–90 (Australian Democrats)

Michael John Macklin was born on 25 February 1943 in Cricklewood, London, the youngest of four sons born to his Irish father, James Joseph Macklin, and English mother, Vera Alice, née Headley. In 1949 the Macklins migrated to Australia on the SS Ormonde as ‘Ten Pound Poms’ under an assisted passage scheme, and landed in Melbourne. Later that year, the family moved to Ayr,

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MAGUIRE, Graham Ross (1945– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1983–93 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MAGUIRE, Graham Ross (1945– )
Senator for South Australia, 1983–93 (Australian Labor Party)

Like a number of Labor members in federal Parliament between 1983 and 1996, Graham Maguire had the good fortune to experience elected politics entirely from the vantage point of government. He entered the Senate well-prepared and throughout his term his steadfast focus on policy issues, especially economic and electoral issues, marked him as a serious thinker who earned the respect of all sides. The

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MAHER, Edmund Bede (1891–1982)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1950–65 (Australian Country Party)</span>

MAHER, Edmund Bede (1891–1982)
Senator for Queensland, 1950–65 (Australian Country Party)

Edmund Bede (Ted) Maher, grazier and businessman, was born at Forbes, New South Wales, on 8 June 1891. He was the son of Lawrence Thomas Maher, a grazier, and his wife Anne, née McKeon. He was educated at convent schools at Forbes and Grenfell and at the Grenfell Superior Public School, leaving at the age of fifteen to join the Postmaster-General’s Department, where he

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MARGETTS, Diane Elizabeth (1955– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1993–99, (Greens WA)</span>

MARGETTS, Diane Elizabeth (1955– )
Senator for Western Australia, 1993–99, (Greens WA)

Dee Margetts was a senator for one term between 1993 and 1999 during which she shared the balance of power in the Senate with other minor party and independent senators. The way she dealt with this situation was influenced heavily by her previous activities and experience as an environmental and peace activist. Diane Elizabeth (Dee) Margetts was born on 5 March 1955 in Fremantle,

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MARRIOTT, John Edward (1913–1994)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1953–75 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MARRIOTT, John Edward (1913–1994)
Senator for Tasmania, 1953–75 (Liberal Party of Australia)

John Edward Marriott came from a Tasmanian family that maintained strong connections with England. His father, Francis (Frank), was born in London, left school at fourteen, worked in America and then went to sea. Overstaying his ship, Frank settled in Tasmania in 1903, became a farm labourer, and married English-born Alice Maud Harrison. Alice was the daughter of a Church of England clergyman who

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MARTYR, John Raymond (1932–2021)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1981–83 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MARTYR, John Raymond (1932–2021)
Senator for Western Australia, 1981–83 (Liberal Party of Australia)

John Raymond Martyr, vigorous promoter of ‘pro-life’ policies and of self-reliance, was born in Melbourne on 25 May 1932, elder of two sons of Ernest John Martyr and Ellen Mary, née Goodwin. Ernest Martyr was variously a ‘bush worker’ and ‘dyer and cleaner’ served briefly in the AIF in 1918, and then in the Royal Australian Navy as a stoker and officer’s steward. Classified

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MARWICK, Thomas William (1895–1960)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1936–37 (Australian Country Party)</span>

MARWICK, Thomas William (1895–1960)
Senator for Western Australia, 1936–37 (Australian Country Party)

Thomas William Marwick, farmer, was born in York, Western Australia on 19 April 1895, the son of Warren Marwick, a farmer and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, and Susan, née Collins. Thomas was educated at Christian Brothers College, York, and then at the Perth Technical School where he studied engineering. On leaving school in 1911 Marwick worked for two years in the

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MASON, Colin Victor James (1926– 2020)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1978–87 (Australian Democrats)</span>

MASON, Colin Victor James (1926– 2020)
Senator for New South Wales, 1978–87 (Australian Democrats)

Colin Victor James Mason was elected as a senator for New South Wales in the 1977 federal election. Don Chipp was elected as a senator for Victoria in the same election. As the first Australian Democrats elected to the Senate, they signalled the arrival of a new centrist parliamentary party that would go on to become a highly influential minor party in federal politics.

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MASSY-GREENE, Sir Walter (1874–1952)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1923–38 (Nationalist Party)</span>

MASSY-GREENE, Sir Walter (1874–1952)
Senator for New South Wales, 1923–38 (Nationalist Party)

Walter Massy-Greene’s name did not officially include a hyphen until March 1933. Prior to that date, anyone searching for him in Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates will find him under the name of ‘Greene’. He was born on 6 November 1874 at Grove Lane, Camberwell, Surrey, England, the second son of Julia Eamer, née Sandeman, and John Greene, who variously described himself as a brewer and

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MATHESON, Sir Alexander Perceval (1861–1929)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1901–06 (Free Trade)</span>

MATHESON, Sir Alexander Perceval (1861–1929)
Senator for Western Australia, 1901–06 (Free Trade)

Alexander Matheson, merchant and developer, was born in Mayfair, London, on 6 February 1861, the eldest son of Sir Alexander Matheson, a Member of Parliament who was created a Baronet in 1882, and his third wife, Eleanor, née Perceval. Eleanor was a granddaughter of Spencer Perceval, the British Prime Minister assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons in 1812. The young Alexander

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MATTNER, Edward William (1893–1977)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1944–46, 1950–68 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MATTNER, Edward William (1893–1977)
Senator for South Australia, 1944–46, 1950–68 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Edward William (Ted) Mattner was born on 16 September 1893 near Oakbank, South Australia, the third of four children of William Charles Mattner, gardener and later a farmer, and Emily Louisa, née Hocking. Educated at Oakbank School, from the age of fourteen he remained at the school as a trainee teacher before attending Adelaide High School (1910–12), where he was awarded the Rossiter Prize

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MAUGHAN, William John Ryott (1863–1933)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1913–20 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MAUGHAN, William John Ryott (1863–1933)
Senator for Queensland, 1913–20 (Australian Labor Party)

Editor to state politician, Labor functionary to senator, William John Ryott Maughan was born on 8 January 1863 at Whitechapel, London, the son of the Rev. Joseph Maughan and Selina Gedge, née Pace. Maughan’s father, who had been ordained as an Anglican clergyman in 1860, was associate secretary of the Colonial and Continental Church Society, and author of Pastoral Addresses.By 1867, he was vicar

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MAUNSELL, Charles Ronald (1922–2010)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1968–81 (Australian Country Party; National Country Party)</span>

MAUNSELL, Charles Ronald (1922–2010)
Senator for Queensland, 1968–81 (Australian Country Party; National Country Party)

A stalwart of the Queensland division of the Australian (later National) Country Party, Charles Ronald (Ron) Maunsell, pilot, earthmoving contractor, grazier and fruit grower, came from pioneering stock, his great-grandparents, Samuel and Phoebe Maunsell, having immigrated to Australia from Ballybrood, County Limerick, in 1858. The only child of Charles George Maunsell and Evelyn Violet, née Evans, he was born in Cairns on 8 May

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McAULIFFE, Ronald Edward (1918–1988)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1971–81 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McAULIFFE, Ronald Edward (1918–1988)
Senator for Queensland, 1971–81 (Australian Labor Party)

Ronald Edward McAuliffe, rugby league administrator and politician, was born in Brisbane on 25 July 1918. He was adopted by Edward McAuliffe, a railway fettler, and Margaret Ann, née Fogarty. The McAuliffes were a large family, living in a small workman’s cottage in Rainbow Street that backed on to the Sandgate to Shorncliffe railway line. Ron was educated at Sandgate’s Sacred Heart convent school

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McBRIDE, Sir Philip Albert Martin (1892–1982)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1937–44 (United Australia Party)</span>

McBRIDE, Sir Philip Albert Martin (1892–1982)
Senator for South Australia, 1937–44 (United Australia Party)

Philip Albert Martin McBride, pastoralist and businessman, spent seven years as a senator and overall eighteen as a member of the House of Representatives. He was influential in both houses, but the highpoint of his career centred on his ministerial appointments during the Cold War. McBride was born on 18 June 1892, at Kooringa, Burra, South Australia, the first child of Albert James McBride,

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McCALLUM, John Archibald (1892–1973)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1950–62 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

McCALLUM, John Archibald (1892–1973)
Senator for New South Wales, 1950–62 (Liberal Party of Australia)

John McCallum was that relatively rare phenomenon, a scholar in Parliament. Intellectual, teacher, broadcaster and senator, he lived a turbulent private and public life. Born in Mittagong on 31 July 1892, John was the eldest surviving child of Catherine Margaret, née Protheroe (born in Brecon, Wales, in 1865), and Archibald Duncan McCallum (born on 26 January 1857 in Glasgow). The McCallum family, who arrived

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McCLELLAND, Douglas (1926– ) <br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1962–87 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McCLELLAND, Douglas (1926– )
Senator for New South Wales, 1962–87 (Australian Labor Party)

Douglas McClelland was born on 5 August 1926, in Wentworthville, NSW, the son of Alfred McClelland, union organiser and farmer, and his wife Gertrude Amy, née Cooksley. Alfred was a NSW Labor MLA for the seats of Northern Tablelands (1920–27) and Dubbo (1930–32). Douglas was educated at Wentworthville Public School, Parramatta High School and the Metropolitan Business College, Parramatta. After leaving school he worked

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McClelland, James Robert (1915–1999)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1971–78 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McClelland, James Robert (1915–1999)
Senator for New South Wales, 1971–78 (Australian Labor Party)

James Robert (Jim) McClelland was born on 3 June 1915 in Melbourne, the son of Robert William McClelland, painter, paperhanger and signwriter, who was of Ulster Protestant background, and Florence Ruby, née O’Connor, a Catholic. James’ early childhood was spent at Glen Iris, Melbourne, but in 1925 his father, who worked for the Victorian Railways, was transferred to Ballarat, where the family lived for

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McCOLL, James Hiers (1844–1929)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1907–14 (Anti-Socialist Party; Liberal Party)</span>

McCOLL, James Hiers (1844–1929)
Senator for Victoria, 1907–14 (Anti-Socialist Party; Liberal Party)

James Hiers McColl was born in South Shields, County Durham, England, son of Hugh McColl, a printer at the time of James’ birth, and his first wife Jane, née Hiers, on 31 January 1844. McColl arrived in Australia with his family in January 1853, his mother having died on the voyage. The family settled at Bendigo, where his father became a prominent irrigationist and

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McDOUGALL, Allan (1857–1924)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1910–20, 1922–24 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McDOUGALL, Allan (1857–1924)
Senator for New South Wales, 1910–20, 1922–24 (Australian Labor Party)

Allan McDougall, boilermaker, was born at Pyrmont, New South Wales, on 2 August 1857, son of Allan McDougall and his wife Catherine, née Keith. Educated to primary school level, he became an apprentice at the Australian Steam Navigation Company, where his father was foreman boilermaker. Later, the young McDougall moved to Mort’s Dock where he worked beside John Storey and other pioneers of the

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McGREGOR, Gregor (1848–1914)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1901–14 (Labor Party)</span>

McGREGOR, Gregor (1848–1914)
Senator for South Australia, 1901–14 (Labor Party)

Gregor McGregor, stonemason, builder’s labourer, trade unionist and first Labor leader of the Senate, was described by a Senate colleague as having ‘a grim, pawky Scottish brand of humour with a certain bad boy flavour about it’.[1]McGregor was born on 18 March 1848, son of Malcolm McGregor, gardener, and his wife Jane, in Kilmun, Argyllshire, Scotland. Gregor spent his childhood in Scotland and County

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McHUGH, Charles Stephen (1887–1927)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1923–27 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McHUGH, Charles Stephen (1887–1927)
Senator for South Australia, 1923–27 (Australian Labor Party)

Charles Stephen McHugh, trade union official, was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 23 April 1887, the son of Edward McHugh, an ostler and labourer, and Annie, née McNamara. He was educated at Adelaide Christian Brothers College, a contemporary remembering him as ‘reticent [and] self‑contained’,[1] but also highly articulate. McHugh was an accomplished athlete in his early years, but his strongest interests at school

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McINTOSH, Gordon Douglas (1925–2019)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1974–87 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McINTOSH, Gordon Douglas (1925–2019)
Senator for Western Australia, 1974–87 (Australian Labor Party)

Gordon Douglas McIntosh was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 29 May 1925, the son of Gordon McIntosh, ship’s stoker and swimming pool attendant, and his wife Dorothy Robson, née Douglas. Attending Drumoyne Primary School and Govan High School, he was apprenticed in 1940 as a fitter and turner, starting work in the Glasgow shipyards before serving as a mechanic with the Royal Air Force

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McKELLAR, Gerald Colin (1903–1970)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1958–70 (Australian Country Party)</span>

McKELLAR, Gerald Colin (1903–1970)
Senator for New South Wales, 1958–70 (Australian Country Party)

Gerald Colin McKellar, known as Colin, was born on 29 May 1903 in Gulgong, New South Wales, to Gerald Murdoch McKellar and Margaret Jane, née Travis. Educated at Gilgandra Public School, Colin followed in the steps of his father and grandfather by becoming a wheat and sheep farmer. On 24 July 1926, he married a Sydney schoolteacher, Florence Emily Smith, at the Presbyterian Church,

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McKENNA, Nicholas Edward (1895–1974)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1944–68 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McKENNA, Nicholas Edward (1895–1974)
Senator for Tasmania, 1944–68 (Australian Labor Party)

Nicholas Edward McKenna was born at Carlton, Victoria, on 9 September 1895. His father, John McKenna, born in Ireland, was a prison warder who later became deputy governor of Pentridge gaol. His mother, Alice, née Darcy, came from Geelong. Nick, as he was known, was educated at St Joseph’s Christian Brothers College in North Melbourne. From 1912 to 1924 he worked as a public

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McKIERNAN, James Philip (1944–2018)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1985–2002 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McKIERNAN, James Philip (1944–2018)
Senator for Western Australia, 1985–2002 (Australian Labor Party)

James Philip (Jim) McKiernan, the third of eight children of James and Mary (Maisie) McKiernan, was born on 11 October 1944 in Cavan, Ireland. From the age of six he attended De La Salle College run by the Christian Brothers but left at the age of twelve, blaming brutal and humiliating treatment that he had received at the hands of one of the brothers.

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McKISSOCK, Andrew Nelson (1872–1919)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1914–17 (Labor Party)</span>

McKISSOCK, Andrew Nelson (1872–1919)
Senator for Victoria, 1914–17 (Labor Party)

Andrew Nelson McKissock, adventurer, compositor and trade unionist, was born on 6 December 1872 in Ballarat East, the son of John McKissock, butcher, and Helen, née Rattray. After attending a local school, he was apprenticed to F.W. Niven as a compositor. As a young man, he became deeply interested in the trade union movement. He joined the Typographical Society, and in 1900 became adelegate

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McLACHLAN, Alexander John (1872–1956)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1926–44 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

McLACHLAN, Alexander John (1872–1956)
Senator for South Australia, 1926–44 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

Alexander John McLachlan was born to Alexander McLachlan, a sheep farmer of Narracoorte, and his wife Mary, née Patterson, on 2 November 1872. His mother was a devout woman who read the Gaelic Bible to him each night, and taught him Gaelic songs. All his life he retained a strong attachment to, and interest in, his Scottish heritage, his parents and grandparents having emigrated

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McLACHLAN, James (1870–1956)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1935–47 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

McLACHLAN, James (1870–1956)
Senator for South Australia, 1935–47 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)

Senator James McLachlan had community spirit and public service in his blood. A successful rural businessman, he was born on 12 March 1870, at Alma Plains, South Australia, the son of James McLachlan, farmer, and his wife Catherine, née McColl, both from Scotland. Young James, whose mother died the year after his birth, received a thorough education both at the local state school and

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McLAREN, Geoffrey Thomas (1921–1992)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1971–83 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

McLAREN, Geoffrey Thomas (1921–1992)
Senator for South Australia, 1971–83 (Australian Labor Party)

During his twelve years in the Senate, Geoff McLaren, an ‘old-fashioned’ Laborite, gained a reputation on both sides of politics as a very hard worker who took part in the Senate’s proceedings with great gusto. If not especially influential, he was never inconspicuous. Senator Watson once cited McLaren’s daily habit of reading the whole of the previous day’s Hansard, a practice, Watson considered, that

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McLEAN, Paul Alexander (1937– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1987–91 (Australian Democrats)</span>

McLEAN, Paul Alexander (1937– )
Senator for New South Wales, 1987–91 (Australian Democrats)

‘Although I was not raised in poverty, I saw enough of it to understand it’ admitted Paul Alexander McLean. Born to Harold Penrose McLean and Kathleen McLean, née Collins, on 13 March 1937 in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Belmont in the Hunter region of NSW, he was raised by parents—’a coal miner and … the daughter of a tin miner’—who instilled in their

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McLEAY, George (1892–1955)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1935–47, 1950–55 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

McLEAY, George (1892–1955)
Senator for South Australia, 1935–47, 1950–55 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)

George McLeay, company director and federal minister, was born on 6 August 1892 at Port Clinton, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. He was one of six children, four sons and two daughters, of George McLeay, farmer, and Marguaretta, née Barton. Young George was educated first at Port Clinton and later in Adelaide at Unley Public School. He completed a commercial course at Muirden College and

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McMANUS, Francis Patrick Vincent (1905–1983)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1956–62, 1965–74 (Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist); Democratic Labor Party)</span>

McMANUS, Francis Patrick Vincent (1905–1983)
Senator for Victoria, 1956–62, 1965–74 (Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist); Democratic Labor Party)

Francis Patrick Vincent (Frank) McManus, civilised Cold War warrior and founding member of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), was born on 27 February 1905 at North Melbourne, a suburb he would come to describe as his native land. He was the son of Patrick McManus, born in Roscommon, Ireland, and Gertrude, née Beal, who was born in West Melbourne, and who changed her name

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McMULLIN, Sir Alister Maxwell (1900–1984)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1951–71 (Liberal Party of Australia) </span>

McMULLIN, Sir Alister Maxwell (1900–1984)
Senator for New South Wales, 1951–71 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Alister Maxwell McMullin, who remains the longest serving President of the Senate, was born on 14 July 1900 at Bingeberry in the hamlet of Rouchel, near Scone, in the Hunter Valley, NSW. He was the seventh child of William George McMullin and Catherine, née McDonald, who had married in Rouchel in 1884, Catherine having lived in nearby Stewarts Brook. Educated at state schools, Alister,

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MELZER, Jean Isabel (1926–2013)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1974–81 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MELZER, Jean Isabel (1926–2013)
Senator for Victoria, 1974–81 (Australian Labor Party)

Jean Isabel Melzer, the first woman in the Australian Labor Party to be elected to the Senate from Victoria, was born in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick, on 7 February 1926. She was the eldest of the three daughters of George Kenneth McLeod and Lilian Rosa, née Ford. Jean was educated at state schools at Ormond and Ormond East, Gardenvale Central School, and from

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MESSNER, Anthony John (1939–2024)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1975–90 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MESSNER, Anthony John (1939–2024)
Senator for South Australia, 1975–90 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Anthony John (Tony) Messner was born in East Melbourne on 24 September 1939, the only child of Colin Thomas Messner, bank officer, and Thelma Doreen Messner, née Virgo. Messner’s parents originally came from South Australia, but his father’s employment with the Bank of Adelaide resulted in the family moving between Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth during his early life. Tony Messner was educated at

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MILLEN, Edward Davis (1860–1923)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1901–23 (Free Trade; Anti-Socialist Party; Liberal Party; Nationalist Party)</span>

MILLEN, Edward Davis (1860–1923)
Senator for New South Wales, 1901–23 (Free Trade; Anti-Socialist Party; Liberal Party; Nationalist Party)

As Australia’s first Minister for Repatriation, Edward Millen was a central figure in the establishment of Australia’s repatriation policies and machinery. Born in Deal, Kent, on 7 November 1860, the son of John Bullock Millen, a pilot of the Cinque Ports, and Charlotte, née Davis, he began his working life as an adjuster of marine insurance. Migrating to New South Wales around 1880, Millen

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MILLEN, John Dunlop (1877–1941)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1920–38 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

MILLEN, John Dunlop (1877–1941)
Senator for Tasmania, 1920–38 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

John Dunlop Millen, mining engineer, was born on 3 May 1877, at Londonderry, Ireland, son of John Millen, draper, and Kate, née Dickson. In 1884 the family migrated to Queensland where Millen senior established himself as a draper in Toowoomba. The younger John was educated at Toowoomba Grammar School, after which he obtained a diploma from Sydney Technical College. Millen secured the position of

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MILLINER, Bertie Richard (1911–1975)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1968–75 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MILLINER, Bertie Richard (1911–1975)
Senator for Queensland, 1968–75 (Australian Labor Party)

Bertie Richard Milliner was born in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, on 17 July 1911. He was the sixth son of Arthur, a glazier, and Ellen, née Batchelor. Educated at Kelvin Grove Boys’ State School from 1918 until 1925, Milliner spent his entire life in the inner west Brisbane suburbs of Kelvin Grove and Newmarket. On 26 March 1938 he married a schoolteacher, Thelma Elizabeth Voght,

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MISSEN, Alan Joseph (1925–1986)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1974–86 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MISSEN, Alan Joseph (1925–1986)
Senator for Victoria, 1974–86 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Alan Missen, law reformer and a champion of civil liberties at home and abroad, was an exemplary parliamentarian whose impact on political life was far out of proportion to his backbench status. Alan Joseph Missen was born in the Melbourne suburb of Kew on 22 July 1925, the only child of Clifford Athel Missen, a moulder, and (Ethel) Violet Maud Missen, née Bartley. Alan’s

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MONAHAN, George Henry (1873–1944)<br /> <span class=subheader>Clerk of the Senate, 1920–38</span>

MONAHAN, George Henry (1873–1944)
Clerk of the Senate, 1920–38

George Henry Monahan, fourth Clerk of the Senate, remains the longest serving holder of that office. His parliamentary career at state and federal levels spanned the ten years prior to Federation, the establishment of the Commonwealth Parliament in Melbourne in 1901 and the move to the provisional Parliament House in Canberra in 1927. He felt at first hand the effects of war and depression

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MOONEY, Patrick Frederick (1880–1942)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1931–32 (Lang Labor)</span>

MOONEY, Patrick Frederick (1880–1942)
Senator for New South Wales, 1931–32 (Lang Labor)

‘Bluey’ Mooney was a senator for only six months. He brought to the Senate chamber a pugnacity that reflected his earlier industrial experience and his intense loyalty to the then premier of New South Wales, J. T. Lang. His entry to the Senate on 23 December 1931 meant that the number of Lang Labor followers in the Senate rose briefly to three, the others

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MORRIS, John Joseph (1936–2013)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1985–90 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MORRIS, John Joseph (1936–2013)
Senator for New South Wales, 1985–90 (Australian Labor Party)

John Joseph Morris was born at Young Wallsend (now known as Edgeworth, a suburb of Newcastle), NSW, on 12 June 1936, the youngest of six children of Thomas Wallace Hope Morris, a boilermaker, and his wife Minnie Doreen, née Gavin. His paternal grandfather, also Thomas Morris, had served as an alderman of Fairfield Municipal Council and was described as ‘a keen follower of the

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MORRIS, Sir Kenneth James (1903–1978)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1963–68 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

MORRIS, Sir Kenneth James (1903–1978)
Senator for Queensland, 1963–68 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Kenneth James Morris, pastoralist, manufacturer, soldier and politician, was born in Brisbane on 22 October 1903, eighth child born to James Reuben Morris, a farmer born in Northhampton, England, and his wife Christina McKenzie, née Grant, born in Geelong, Victoria. Morris was educated at state schools at Ithaca Creek and Mapleton between 1912 and 1917, and at Brisbane Grammar School from 1918 to 1919.

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MORROW, William (1888–1980)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1947–53 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MORROW, William (1888–1980)
Senator for Tasmania, 1947–53 (Australian Labor Party)

William (Bill) Morrow, railwayman, union official and peace activist, was born on 22 October 1888 at Rockhampton, Queensland, the fourth of eleven children of William Morrow, railwayman, and his wife Amelia, née Greenhalgh. When Bill was nine the family, who had lived in various towns and camps in central Queensland, moved north to Mareeba, where Morrow senior was employed as a permanent-way inspector on

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MULCAHY, Edward (1850–1927)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1904–10, 1919–20 (Protectionist; Nationalist Party)</span>

MULCAHY, Edward (1850–1927)
Senator for Tasmania, 1904–10, 1919–20 (Protectionist; Nationalist Party)

Edward Mulcahy, draper, was born in Limerick, Ireland, on 28 March 1850, one of a large family born to James Mulcahy, blacksmith, and Mary Anne, née McMahon. The Mulcahys arrived in Tasmania in June 1854, where James worked as a mechanic for the Hobart engineering firm of Davidson and Clark, while the young Edward became friends with Clark’s son, the future federationist, Andrew Inglis

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MULLAN, John (1871–1941)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1913–17 (Labor Party)</span>

MULLAN, John (1871–1941)
Senator for Queensland, 1913–17 (Labor Party)

John Mullan, ‘a small, pugnacious figure, with a Paderewski-like mop of curly black hair’, impressed his contemporaries as ‘a fluent and somewhat combative debater, with a sprightly Irish wit . . . as nimble and elusive in the dialectical wrestling bouts of the debating floor as the fabled leprechaun of Irish folk-lore’.[1] Mullan was born in Loughlinstown, near Dublin, Ireland, on 8 September 1871,

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MULVIHILL, James Anthony (1917–2000)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1965–83 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MULVIHILL, James Anthony (1917–2000)
Senator for New South Wales, 1965–83 (Australian Labor Party)

James Anthony (Tony) Mulvihill, railwayman, party official, and environmentalist, was born in North Ryde, Sydney, on 27 April 1917. He was the only child of James Bernard (Jim) Mulvihill and Agnes Ellen, née McNamara. His father, Jim, worked for most of his life at the gasworks at Mortlake, at that time a community with many Irish and English gas and railway workers. He was

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MURPHY, Lionel Keith (1922–1986)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1962–75 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MURPHY, Lionel Keith (1922–1986)
Senator for New South Wales, 1962–75 (Australian Labor Party)

Lionel Keith Murphy was the most divisive figure in the history of the Senate. His supporters saw him as inspirational: an enlightened and bold reformer whose unceasing mental and physical energy achieved much of permanent value. Opponents regarded him as dangerous, reckless and lacking in fundamental political nous. Doubts about Murphy’s judgment were also held privately by some members of his own party. Years

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MURRAY, Reginald James (1906–1962)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1947–51 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

MURRAY, Reginald James (1906–1962)
Senator for Tasmania, 1947–51 (Australian Labor Party)

Reginald James Murray was born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 27 April 1906 to Walter James Murray, a commercial traveller, and Nellie, née Miller. Walter Murray’s birthplace was Edinburgh; Nellie was born in Hobart. After Reginald’s birth, the family moved to Brisbane, Queensland, and later to Hobart, Tasmania, where Reg (as he came to be known) developed the ‘natural curiosity . . . of

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