Malcolm McEacharn

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Malcolm Donald McEacharn

Malcolm McEacharn by Swiss Studios, ca. 1900s
Born 8 February 1852
London, Great Britain
Died 10 March 1910
Cannes, France
Cause of death Pneumonia
Nationality England
Australia
Education Royal Caledonian Schools
Occupation Shipbroker
Mayor of Melbourne
Employers Self-employed
Government of Australia
Title Knight of the British Empire
Mayor of Melbourne
Term 1897-1900
Predecessor Matthew Lang
Successor William Maloney
Political party Independent
Spouse Anne Peirson (January- December 1878)
Mary Ann Walton (1882-1910)
Children 3

Sir Malcolm Donald McEacharn (8 February 1852 - 10 March 1910) was a well-known Australian shipping magnate in the early part of the twentieth century. He successfully stood for the Division of Melbourne at the inaugural federal election, held in 1901.

Contents

[edit] Early life

McEacharn was born in London on February 8, 1852 to a mariner and his wife, both from the Isle of Islay, Scotland. His father died in a shipwreck two years later, and, as the son of a dead sailor, the Royal Caledonian Schools in Islington cared for and educated him for seven years when he was of school age. In 1866, at age 14, he joined a London shipping office named Rucker, Offor & Co. He began his own shipbroking business in 1873 at age 21. Two years later he partnered with Andrew McIlwraith to found McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co.

[edit] Shipping career

McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co. became a very successful company, earning profitable contracts to carry cargo and immigrants to Queensland, Australia. McEacharn and McIlwraith soon began to build up a mercantile import and export department with Australia. McIlwraith's brother, John, acted as the firm's Melbourne agent for the first three years.

[edit] Move to Australia

McEacharn married Anne Peirson, a landowner in January 1878. After her death eleven months later, he relocated to Queensland to launch the Australian trade in refrigerated meat. McEacharn would personally select meat and butter, which his chartered ship would ship from Sydney to London. While his partner chose to remain in Britain, McEacharn settled in Australia. He bought a shipping Rockhamtpon business, Walter Reid & Co., in 1881; and a year later married Mary Ann Watson, a daughter of mining millionaire J.B. Watson in Victoria.

[edit] Politician

A decline in immigrants, in combination with competition from another British company, led to McIlwraith's and McEacharn's progressively withdrawing their sailing ships. They began new affiliations and trade areas, such as coal. McEacharn relocated to Melbourne in 1887 to set up head office there. He latched onto another boom in 1893, in the form of passenger and cargo trade to the Western Australian Goldfields with voyages to Java, Singapore and India. In March 1893, McEacharn became a city councillor of Melbourne. He was knighted after a term as mayor of Melbourne 1897-1900. He defended local government involvement in the economy, earning him a reputation as a "municipal socialist". In 1905, he helped to incorporate North Melbourne, Flemington and Kensington into the Council of Melbourne. While he had continued involvement in local and national businesses, McEacharn had ambitions beyond local government. At the inaugural federal election in 1901, he successfully ran for the House of Representatives seat of Melbourne. Endorsed by two local newspapers, The Age and The Argus, McEacharn defeated Labor Party William Maloney. He supported both conservative and progressive stances on contemporary issues. He strongly supported, for example, the interests of private employers, but at the same time, opposed women's suffrage and defended the use of Melanesian labour on the Queensland cane-fields. In the 1903 election, McEacharn defeated Maloney only narrowly, and the election was declared void on a technicality. The subsequent by-election in March 1904 attracted great attention, which McEacharn ended up losing to Maloney. McEacharn's subsequent decision to abandon politics after a single defeat was widely regarded as a mistake but, true to his stated intentions, he abandoned not only politics but Australia. In 1905, he, his wife, and his children moved to Wigtownshire, Scotland.

[edit] Death

Sir Malcolm McEacharn died suddenly of a heart failure induced by pneumonia on March 10, 1910 in Cannes, France. He was survived by his wife, son and two daughters.

[edit] Resources

[edit] External links

  • Australian House of Representatives Archive showing William Maloney's complaint that the 1903 election was tainted. [1]
Parliament of Australia
New division Member for Melbourne
1901 – 1904		 Succeeded by
William Maloney