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

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 ...

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 {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub