Sir Kenneth Malcolm McCaw
QC (8 October 1907 – 13 September 1989), an Australian politician, was a member of the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...
representing
Lane Cove
Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove is nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the ...
for the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
from 1947 until his retirement from political office in 1975. McCaw served as
Attorney General of New South Wales
The attorney general of New South Wales, in formal contexts also attorney-general or attorney general for New South Wales See, e.g. Attorney General for New South Wales v Burns & Ors', ''Leahy v Attorney-General for New South Wales'' and ''Makin ...
from 1965 to 1975.
Early years and background
McCaw was born in
Chatswood, New South Wales
Chatswood is a suburb in the Lower North Shore (Sydney), Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the Local gove ...
. he was the son of a teamster and was educated in country schools. He initially worked as a farm hand but then moved to Sydney, was employed as a clerk and continued to study at night. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1934 and was active in the
Law Society of New South Wales
The Law Society of New South Wales is a professional association which represents over 42,000 solicitors in Australia. The Law Society has statutory powers and regulates the practice of law in New South Wales.http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawl ...
and community groups in the
Lane Cove
Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove is nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the ...
district.
[
]
Political career
McCaw entered the New South Wales parliament at the 1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
election as the Liberal member for Lane Cove; defeating the sitting Labor
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
member Henry Woodward. He retained the seat at the next nine elections and retired in 1975.
With the election of the coalition
A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces.
Formation
According to ''A G ...
government of Robert Askin
Sir Robert William Askin, GCMG (4 April 1907 – 9 September 1981), was an Australian politician and the 32nd premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, b ...
at the 1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
election, McCaw was appointed Attorney-General. He held this position until his retirement. In 1967 he recommended to Cabinet that women be called for jury service although the 1968 legislation did not commence operation until 1974 and then only in part of NSW.
During his term in office, he was appointed Queen's Counsel
A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
, in 1972.
Career after politics
On retirement from politics, McCaw was awarded a Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
, which does not carry post-nominal
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters, or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation ...
s.
References
1907 births
1989 deaths
Australian King's Counsel
Australian solicitors
Attorneys-general of New South Wales
Australian Knights Bachelor
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales
20th-century Australian lawyers
20th-century Australian politicians
People from Chatswood
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