Max Ruddock

Max Ruddock
Minister for Transport
Minister for Highways
In office
10 October 1975  23 January 1976
Premier Tom Lewis
Preceded by Wal Fife
Succeeded by Tim Bruxner
Member of the New South Wales Parliament
for The Hills
In office
3 March 1962  25 May 1976
Preceded by New district
Succeeded by Fred Caterson
Personal details
Born 2 January 1914
Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia
Died 31 May 1976 (aged 62)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Political party Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse(s) Emmie Ruddock
(née Chappell)
Children Philip Ruddock
Religion Church of England

Maxwell (Max) Stanley Ruddock (2 January 1914  31 May 1976) was a New South Wales politician, Assistant Treasurer and Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of Tom Lewis and Sir Eric Willis. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 14 years from 3 March 1962 until his resignation on 25 May 1976 for the Liberal Party of Australia.[1]

Early career

Ruddock was born in 1914 in Marrickville, New South Wales, the son of Stanley Ruddock, a forestry officer, and May Myers Ruddock (née Cropper). He was educated at Fort Street Boys' High School and later attended the University of Sydney. At university he gained a Bachelor of Economics (BEc) in 1935 and a Masters (MEc) three years later in 1938.[1]

Originally working as a teacher, he continued his academic studies, becoming an Associate of the Australian Society of Accountants in 1940. He married Emmie Chappell on 24 August 1940 and had two daughters and a son, Philip Maxwell.[1] He was then employed as an economic adviser to the Commonwealth government in 1942 and the Deputy Prices Commissioner from 1942 to 1948, but was forced to return to Sydney, owing to his mother-in-law suffering from cancer.[2] Ruddock was then appointed as a board director at David Jones Limited from 1948 to 1949, a director of Jones Brothers (1949–1952) and became a public accountant from 1956.[1]

Early political career

Ruddock first entered politics when he stood for and was elected as a Councillor of Hornsby Shire Council in 1954. He was elected from a single term as Deputy Shire President from December 1955 to December 1956. As a Councillor in 1959, his 16-year-old son, Philip, alerted Ruddock to a legal impediment to the State Government's desire to make the suburb of Westleigh an industrial area, thereby resulting in the preservation of the residential nature of Westleigh.[2] Ruddock later rose to be Shire President from December 1960 to December 1961.[3] As a prominent member of the council, he became involved in many local and regional organisations, including as the General Secretary of New South Wales Wheat and Wool Growers Association (1959–1962), a trustee of Lane Cove National Park (1961–1966) and also for Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in 1964. He became a member of the new Liberal Party of Australia and got involved on a local level.[1]

Ruddock contested and won preselection for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of The Hills, a new seat with a notional Liberal majority, taking in the northern and Liberal voting end of the seat of Blacktown. Ruddock defeated the sitting Liberal Member for Blacktown, Alfred Dennis, for preselection and Dennis subsequently contested the seat as an Independent Liberal. At the 1962 election Ruddock defeated Dennis with 56.28% of the vote and went on to hold this seat a further five times.[4]

Later career and legacy

Ruddock remained on the backbenches, and stayed as a Hornsby Councillor until 1965. On 3 January 1975, with the ascendancy of Tom Lewis as Premier of NSW he was appointed as Assistant Treasurer of New South Wales and Minister for Revenue, an office which he held until 10 October 1975 when he was made Minister for Transport and Minister for Highways. He held these ministries until Lewis was replaced as Premier by Sir Eric Willis, who then reappointed him as Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue on 23 January 1976. He held this office until the Coalition Government lost the 1976 election on 14 May 1976.[1]

He lived to see his son, Philip, elected to the Australian House of Representatives seat of Parramatta on 22 September 1973. His health in decline, having suffered all his life from a degenerative muscle disease that, by the time he entered Parliament, made walking difficult,[2] Ruddock did not stay in politics long afterwards, resigning his seat on 25 May 1976 and retiring from public life. However, six days after retiring from politics, aged 62, on 31 May 1976 he suffered a stroke and died in hospital. A state funeral at St James' Chapel, Castle Hill, was held for him, which was attended by the Governor, Sir Roden Cutler.[5] In his honour, Parramatta City Council dedicated the "Max Ruddock Reserve" in Winston Hills soon after his death.[6] Philip went on to serve in the Howard Government as a Minister of the Crown, in particular as the Attorney-General of Australia from 2003 to 2007.[7]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Mr Maxwell Stanley RUDDOCK (1914–1976)". Former Members. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "In the name of the father". The Age. 22 November 2003. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  3. "List of Presidents or Mayors of Hornsby Shire". Hornsby Shire Council. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  4. Green, Antony. "Elections for the District of – The Hills". New South Wales Elections Database. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  5. "State Funeral for Mr. Max Ruddock". Sydney Morning Herald 2 June 1976 pg 2.
  6. "Max Ruddock Reserve". Parramatta City Council. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  7. "RUDDOCK, The Hon. Philip Maxwell". Parlinfo. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
Civic offices
Preceded by
Sydney Storey
Deputy Shire President of Hornsby
1955  1956
Succeeded by
Kenneth Mason
Preceded by
Harold Headen
Shire President of Hornsby
1960  1961
Succeeded by
Donald Tulloch
Parliament of New South Wales
New district Member for The Hills
1962  1976
Succeeded by
Fred Caterson
Political offices
Preceded by
Wal Fife
Assistant Treasurer of New South Wales
1975
Succeeded by
Peter Coleman
New title Minister for Revenue
1975
Preceded by
Wal Fife
Minister for Transport
1975  1976
Succeeded by
Tim Bruxner
Minister for Highways
1975  1976
Preceded by
Peter Coleman
Assistant Treasurer of New South Wales
1976
Vacant
Title next held by
Ken Booth
Minister for Revenue
1976
Post abolished