George Hugh Alexander Mackay (20 March 18725 November 1961) was an Australian politician at state and federal level. He served in the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

from 1912 to 1915, before winning the

Division of Lilley The Division of Lilley is an Australian Electoral Divisions, Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. History The division was first proclaimed in 1913. The division is named after Charles Lilley, Sir Charles Lilley, a former Premier of Q ...

as a

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

at the 1917 federal election. Mackay joined the new

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

(UAP) in 1931 and served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1932 until his retirement in 1934.

Early life

Mackay was born at Copperfield, near Clermont in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, to Scottish-born carpenter Hugh Mackay and Jane, née Baird. He attended the state schools at Clermont and

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

before becoming an apprentice printer at the ''Peak Downs Telegram'' in 1887. In 1894 he was promoted to foreman printer, and finally became managing editor. He married Edith Ann Heard on 23 September 1896 at the Wesleyan Church in Clermont, after which he joined his sister Barbara in the local bookshop and newsagency. He was elected to Clermont Town Council in 1882 and served as mayor 1900–02. Mackay moved to Lismore in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1902 before leasing a dairy farm at McLean's Ridge. Shortly afterwards, in 1905, the family moved back to Queensland, settling at

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

, where Mackay opened an auctioneering and real estate business in partnership with Ray King. In 1911 he was elected to

Gympie City Council Gympie ( ) is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The l ...

; he was mayor in 1917.

Politics

Mackay was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

in 1912 as a

member, representing the seat of

. He was defeated in 1915, but in 1917 won the federal seat of Lilley as a

. In the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

he was known as a competent public speaker with a penchant for quoting figures; serving on the Joint Committee on Public Works (1920–28, chairman 1926-28), he was involved in the development of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

and the building of the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

. He stated that he had "no time for extremists or muddlers", and was known to dislike the Country Party. In 1931, the Nationalist Party became the

, and on 11 February 1932 Mackay was elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

. In March 1934 he announced his retirement, stating that "one may remain in parliament too long".

Later life

After his retirement, Mackay was interested in

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

, and he was president of the Gympie Bowling Club 1936–39. He was a devout

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and in 1952 wrote ''A summary of the history of the Gympie Presbyterian Church''. He died on 5 November 1961 at Gympie and received a state funeral; he was buried at

Gympie Cemetery Gympie Cemetery is the cemetery for Gympie, Queensland, Australia. The cemetery is located on Corella Road and is managed by the Gympie Cemetery Trust. History It was first unofficially located on the corner of Alfred and King Street, currently ...

. Welcome to the Gympie Cemetery Mapping Portal
— Gympie Cemetery Trust. Retrieved 7 February 2015. He was survived by a son.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, George 1872 births 1961 deaths Commonwealth Liberal Party politicians Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Lilley Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Australian House of Representatives Australian auctioneers Australian people of Scottish descent 20th-century Australian politicians People from Gympie