Charles McDonald (Australian politician)

Charles McDonald (25 August 1860 – 13 November 1925) was an Australian politician who served as Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives during the second and third Andrew Fisher Labor governments between 1910 and 1913 and between 1914 and 1917.

Early life and career

Charles McDonald was born in North Melbourne, Victoria in 1860. He lived a transient life as a child with his family living in four colonies. He was living in Mudgee, New South Wales, when he left school, becoming an apprentice printer. However, he later switched trades becoming a watchmaker.

Queensland Labor movement

McDonald was a watchmaker in Charters Towers in 1890 when he became the President of the Australian Labor Federation based in Brisbane. He played a leading role in the formation of the Australian Labor Party in Queensland.

He was elected in 1893 as Member for Flinders in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. McDonald became known for his mastery of the Standing Orders. He was a member of the Queensland Executive between 1898 and 1903.

Federal parliamentarian

In 1901, he successfully stood for the Division of Kennedy in the first election for the Australian House of Representatives after Federation. McDonald was known as "Fighting Charlie" for his vigorous campaigning style. In one campaign, he reportedly rode over 3,000 miles on bicycle on the rough roads of outback Queensland.^[1]

McDonald became Chairman of Committees between 1906 and 1910. He became the first Labor Speaker in 1910 as Andrew Fisher formed the first Labor majority Government. He served in that position until Labor was narrowly defeated in the 1913 Federal election. McDonald was a confirmed republican who abandoned the traditional Speakers wig and gown and removed the mace from the table.

The Liberal Government made an offer to McDonald to continue in the position but he declined due to the interests of the Labor Party.^[2]

The Liberal Prime Minister Joseph Cook became frustrated by the Labor controlled Senate blocking his legislation and called for a double dissolution election. Labor won the election and McDonald became speaker again in 1914. He served as Speaker under the Australian Labor Party, National Labor Party, and Nationalist Party governments until the 1917 election. During the parliamentary term, Labor split over the introduction of conscription in Australia. After the election, McDonald served on the opposition backbench.

His health was failing in the mid-1920s despite a trip to the United Kingdom in 1923. He died of cerebro-vascular disease on the day before the 1925 election, leading to his opponent Grosvenor Francis being declared elected unopposed.^[3]

Notes

References

• Australian Dictionary of Biography Online