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KEATING, John Henry (1872–1940)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1901–23 (Protectionist; Liberal Party; Nationalist Party)</span>

KEATING, John Henry (1872–1940)
Senator for Tasmania, 1901–23 (Protectionist; Liberal Party; Nationalist Party)

John Henry Keating’s parting wish as he left the Federal Parliament after twenty-two years was that the Senate would ‘fulfil the functions which the founders of the Constitution fondly believed it would fulfil when they gave it its Constitution’.[1] At twenty-nine, Keating had been the youngest member of the first Commonwealth Parliament. According to Punch, in 1906 he was a ‘tall, plump, youthful looking

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KEEFFE, James Bernard (1919–1988)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1965–83 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

KEEFFE, James Bernard (1919–1988)
Senator for Queensland, 1965–83 (Australian Labor Party)

James Bernard Keeffe, champion of Indigenous Australians and the Deep North, was always proud of his Irish heritage. His great-grandfather had emigrated from County Tipperary in 1841 and settled in the Queanbeyan district of New South Wales. Jim’s father, also James Keeffe, moved to Sydney, and then to northern Queensland where he worked as a canecutter, coffee planter and tin miner. He married Augusta

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KENDALL, Roy (1899–1972)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1950–65 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

KENDALL, Roy (1899–1972)
Senator for Queensland, 1950–65 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Few if any senators have enjoyed such a varied and unique range of occupational, military and territorial experiences as did Captain Roy Kendall, Reserve Decoration, Royal Naval Reserve (RNR). While Kendall spoke somewhat infrequently in the Senate, his experiences in the merchant navy and the RNR from 1914, and in the Royal Navy (RN) from 1939 to 1945, with sojourns in New Guinea, China

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KENNELLY, Patrick John (1900–1981)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1953–71 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

KENNELLY, Patrick John (1900–1981)
Senator for Victoria, 1953–71 (Australian Labor Party)

Patrick John (Pat) Kennelly’s best-known maxim, repeated with variations over the years, typified his political life. He said that if he had to make a choice in politics between logic and numbers, he would come down on the side of the numbers. Known as the kingmaker, Kennelly, a machine man par excellence, became a legendary figure in the ALP, one whose influence extended well

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KERNOT, Cheryl (1948– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1990–97 (Australian Democrats)</span>

KERNOT, Cheryl (1948– )
Senator for Queensland, 1990–97 (Australian Democrats)

Cheryl Kernot was born Cheryl Paton in Maitland, NSW on 5 December 1948, the eldest of four children of Mervyn Roydon Paton, a purchasing officer for the Maitland City Council, and his wife Zena, née Hunter. To help with the family budget, Merv took a second job as manager of the Princes Theatre in East Maitland. Although their parents were not regular churchgoers, all

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KILGARIFF, Bernard Francis (1923–2010)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Northern Territory, 1975–87 (Country Liberal Party)</span>

KILGARIFF, Bernard Francis (1923–2010)
Senator for Northern Territory, 1975–87 (Country Liberal Party)

The Kilgariff family, proudly of Irish Catholic background and followers of the building trade, were pioneers of Central Australia. Bernard Francis (Bern) Kilgariff was born at Mile End, Adelaide, on 30 September 1923, the oldest of three surviving children born to Steve Kilgariff and his wife Mary, née Egar. Steve’s brother, Joe, took his family from Adelaide to Alice Springs in 1927 to take

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KINGSMILL, Sir Walter (1864–1935)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1923–35 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

KINGSMILL, Sir Walter (1864–1935)
Senator for Western Australia, 1923–35 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

Sir Walter Kingsmill, distinguished Western Australian parliamentarian and President of the Senate, started his working life as a geologist, prospector and mine manager. He was born on 10 April 1864 at Glenelg in South Australia, son of Walter Kingsmill, pastoralist, and his wife Jane Elizabeth, née Haslam. He was educated at the Collegiate School of St Peter in Adelaide, and at the University of

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KNEEBONE, Henry (1876–1933)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1931 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

KNEEBONE, Henry (1876–1933)
Senator for South Australia, 1931 (Australian Labor Party)

Henry Kneebone followed a socialist-Christian tradition reminiscent of British social reformers like Robert Owen and William Morris. His daughter wrote that ‘he was a Socialist in the sense that he considered Jesus Christ was a Socialist’. Described as ‘burly in figure, genial and generous in spirit’, and a man of ‘distinguished appearance and upright bearing’, Henry (Harry) Kneebone was born at Wallaroo Mines, South

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KNIGHT, John William (1943–1981)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, 1975–81 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

KNIGHT, John William (1943–1981)
Senator for the Australian Capital Territory, 1975–81 (Liberal Party of Australia)

John William Knight, public servant and diplomat, was one of the first two senators to represent the Australian Capital Territory. He was born on 20 November 1943 at Armidale, New South Wales, the only son of Jack Albert Knight, a grocer, then serving in the RAN, and later a merchant seaman, and his wife Myrane Ruth, née Porter, a dressmaker. Educated at Armidale Demonstration

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LACEY, Robert Herbert (1900–1984)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1965–71 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

LACEY, Robert Herbert (1900–1984)
Senator for Tasmania, 1965–71 (Australian Labor Party)

Robert Herbert (Bert) Lacey was born on 12 January 1900 at Maryborough, Victoria, one of six children of Herbert Edwin, a labourer, and Ellen Eliza, née Finch. In 1985 the Senate heard a remarkable panegyric from Brian Harradine, who said that Lacey’s childhood included ‘periods of deprivation, hunger and bullying’. Harradine described Bert as ‘virtually an orphan’, who, after his mother died in 1911,

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LAJOVIC, Milivoj Emil (1921–2008)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1975–85 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

LAJOVIC, Milivoj Emil (1921–2008)
Senator for New South Wales, 1975–85 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Milivoj Emil (Misha) Lajovic was the first non-British post-second world war migrant to become a member of the Senate, and he was also the first federal parliamentarian of Slovenian origin.[1] Misha Lajovic was born at Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 23 July 1921. At the time of his birth Slovenia was part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which came into existence in 1918

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LAMP, Charles Adcock (1895–1972)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1938–50 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

LAMP, Charles Adcock (1895–1972)
Senator for Tasmania, 1938–50 (Australian Labor Party)

Charles Adcock Lamp was born in Hobart on 3 September 1895. His father was John Frederick August Lamp, the son of a German naval storeman who deserted his ship and settled at York, in Adelaide, before moving to Linda Valley and Queenstown, Tasmania, where he worked in the mines. His mother was Rosina, ‘daughter of Mr Fewkes’. Charles was educated at a state school

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LARGE, William James (1878–1964)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1941–51 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

LARGE, William James (1878–1964)
Senator for New South Wales, 1941–51 (Australian Labor Party)

‘Like myself’, Senator Large, who was just over five feet, once remarked: ‘my contribution to this debate will be very brief’. What was even more worthy of remark was the manner of his being elected to the Senate in the first place. William James Large was born at Northfleet, in the County of Kent, on 28 March 1878, son of Sophia Large, née Lancaster,

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LATHAM, Sir Charles George (1882–1968)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1942–43 (Australian Country Party)</span>

LATHAM, Sir Charles George (1882–1968)
Senator for Western Australia, 1942–43 (Australian Country Party)

Charles George Latham, wheat farmer and influential Country Party politician, believed in firm action. During the Depression of the 1930s he once suggested to Premier James Mitchell that a fire hose be turned upon a large crowd demonstrating outside the Treasury Building in St George’s Terrace, though Mitchell, it seems, did not take his advice. Latham was born in England, at Hythe, in Kent,

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LAUCKE, Sir Condor Louis (1914–1993)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1967–81 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

LAUCKE, Sir Condor Louis (1914–1993)
Senator for South Australia, 1967–81 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Condor Louis Laucke, wine maker, flour miller and company director, was born in Greenock, in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, on 9 November 1914, youngest of six children born to Friedrich and Anna Louise née Jungfer. Anna had been born at Neukirch near Greenock, and Friedrich arrived in Port Adelaide from Germany on 30 May 1895 on board the SS Gera. Condor, who was named

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LAUGHT, Keith Alexander (1907–1969)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for South Australia, 1951–69 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

LAUGHT, Keith Alexander (1907–1969)
Senator for South Australia, 1951–69 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Keith Alexander Laught, ‘ambassador for Mount Gambier’, was born on 2 January 1907 at Mitcham, Adelaide. He was the elder of two surviving sons born to Alexander Veitch Laught, a telegraph clerk, and his wife Johanne Christiane née Wittber, a potter whose work is held in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. One of his uncles was Bill (Carl) Wittber, the aviation pioneer, and Keith’s

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LAWRIE, Alexander Greig Ellis (1907–1978)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Queensland, 1965–75 (Australian Country Party; National Country Party)</span>

LAWRIE, Alexander Greig Ellis (1907–1978)
Senator for Queensland, 1965–75 (Australian Country Party; National Country Party)

Alexander Greig Ellis Lawrie (known as Ellis) was born at Lorn, near Maitland, New South Wales, on 19 June 1907, the son of Alexander Greig Lawrie, a grazier, and his wife Ilma, née Norrie. His great-grandparents, James and Jean Lawrie, had emigrated from Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1850, under the aegis of Reverend J. D. Lang. Establishing a tobacco farm and manufactory at Halton

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LAWSON, Sir Harry Sutherland Wightman (1875–1952)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1929–35 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

LAWSON, Sir Harry Sutherland Wightman (1875–1952)
Senator for Victoria, 1929–35 (Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

Harry Sutherland Lawson was born on 5 March 1875 at Dunolly, Victoria, the only surviving son of John Wightman Lawson, Presbyterian minister from Scotland, and Penelope Bell, née Hawkins. He was educated at Castlemaine Grammar School, and in 1891 at Scotch College, Melbourne, where he read the lessons regularly as befitted ‘a son of the Manse’. In 1892, he was articled to F. K. Best, Castlemaine

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LECKIE, John William (1872–1947)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1935–47 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

LECKIE, John William (1872–1947)
Senator for Victoria, 1935–47 (United Australia Party; Liberal Party of Australia)

John William Leckie, son of James Leckie, butcher, and Mary, née Reilly, was born at Alexandra, Victoria, on 14 October 1872. He had a long parliamentary career serving in the Victorian Legislative Assembly and both houses of the Commonwealth Parliament, but he first achieved prominence as an athlete and footballer. He was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne, where he captained the football team and

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LEWIS, Austin William Russell (1932– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1976–93 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

LEWIS, Austin William Russell (1932– )
Senator for Victoria, 1976–93 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Austin William Russell Lewis was born in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond on 5 December 1932, the only child of David Lewis, a fruiterer and case merchant, and his wife Dulcie Alexandrina, née Williams. Austin grew up during the Second World War, which had ‘a very deep influence’ on him and in his youth he became a ‘dedicated patriot’. His ‘great ambition in

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LILLICO, Alexander Elliot Davidson (1905–1994)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1959–74 (Liberal Party of Australia)</span>

LILLICO, Alexander Elliot Davidson (1905–1994)
Senator for Tasmania, 1959–74 (Liberal Party of Australia)

Alexander Elliot Davidson Lillico, who served with distinction at all three levels of government for almost forty years, was a forceful advocate for rural Tasmania, particularly for the North-West. He was born into a farming family of Scottish descent, at Ulverstone, Tasmania, on 5 September 1905, the son of Alexander Lillico (later Sir) and Frances Emma, née Vertigan. The Lillico family had arrived in

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LITTLE, John Albert (1914–1988)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Victoria, 1968–74 (Democratic Labor Party)</span>

LITTLE, John Albert (1914–1988)
Senator for Victoria, 1968–74 (Democratic Labor Party)

John Albert (Jack) Little was born on 13 October 1914 in Maryborough, Victoria, the son of John Richard Little and Elizabeth Florence, née Terry. His father was in the boot retail business. After education at East Brunswick and Thornbury state schools, Jack entered the boot trade and became a ‘clicker’, that is, he cut pieces of leather from patterns to form the upper parts

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LONG, James Joseph (1870–1932)<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for Tasmania, 1910–18 (Labor Party)</span>

LONG, James Joseph (1870–1932)
Senator for Tasmania, 1910–18 (Labor Party)

James Joseph (Big Jim) Long, miner, was born at Hamilton-on-Forth, on Tasmania’s north-west coast, in 1870, the son of Patrick, a farmer, and Maria, née Hannan. James was educated to primary level and at an early age joined those who sought their fortunes on the burgeoning west coast mine fields, first as prospector and later as mine employee. While on the coast, Long was

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LOOSLEY, Stephen (1952– )<br /><span class=subheader>Senator for New South Wales, 1990–95 (Australian Labor Party)</span>

LOOSLEY, Stephen (1952– )
Senator for New South Wales, 1990–95 (Australian Labor Party)

Born on 29 December 1952 in the working class suburb of Carlton in southern Sydney, Stephen Loosley was the son of clothing worker Bernard Alan Loosley and his wife Jean Elizabeth, née Pike. The eldest of three children, Stephen was educated at Carlton Public School before winning a place at the selective Sydney Technical High School in 1965. Between 1972 and 1975 he undertook

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LYNCH, Patrick Joseph (1867–1944)<br /> <span class=subheader>Senator for Western Australia, 1907–38 (Labor Party; National Labour Party; Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)</span>

LYNCH, Patrick Joseph (1867–1944)
Senator for Western Australia, 1907–38 (Labor Party; National Labour Party; Nationalist Party; United Australia Party)

Patrick Joseph Lynch, shearer, miner, seaman, engine-driver, trade unionist and farmer, was born on 24 May 1867 at Skearke, Moynalty, Kells, County Meath, Ireland, the youngest of eight children, to Michael Lynch, farmer, and his wife Bridget, née Cahill. Patrick’s family had farmed their 17-acre property for several generations. It was here in this close-knit rural community at the Newcastle end of Moynalty parish,

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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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