James Gordon Hislop (14 August 1895 – 4 May 1972) was an Australian medical doctor and politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1941 to 1971, representing

Metropolitan Province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of severa ...

. Before entering politics he was better known as a hospital administrator.

Early life and medical career

Hislop was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to Katherine (née Collins) and James Hislop, his father being an immigrant from Scotland. He attended Scotch College before going on to study medicine the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, where he graduated in 1918.James Gordon Hislop
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 24 May 2016. After brief periods working in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, and Western Australia, Hislop left for England in 1920 to undertake postgraduate study. He spent at the

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

and the

Brompton Hospital Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom. It is managed by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History Consumption in the 19th Century In the 19th century, consumption was a co ...

in London, and developed an interest in chest disease which he maintained for the rest of his professional career. Hislop returned to Melbourne in 1923, working at

Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

, but the following year left for

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, where he was made superintendent of the

Perth Children's Hospital Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) is a specialist children's hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia, located at the corner of Winthrop Avenue and Monash Avenue on the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre (QEII) site. It is Western Australia's sp ...

. He entered private practice in 1927.

Politics and later life

A member of the Nationalist Party, Hislop entered parliament at a 1941 Legislative Council by-election, caused by the death of John Nicholson. He joined the new

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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

upon its formation in 1945. During his time in parliament, Hislop often contributed to debates on health issues. He was also involved in the establishment of a medical school at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

(the first in the state), and also made several unsuccessful attempts to liberalise Western Australia's abortion laws. Hislop retired at the 1971 state election, after almost 30 years as a member of the Legislative Council, and died in Perth the following year, aged 76. He had married Netta Millicent Searll in 1925, with whom he had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hislop, James 1895 births 1972 deaths Australian hospital administrators Australian people of Scottish descent Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne People from Windsor, Victoria University of Melbourne alumni 20th-century Australian politicians Medical doctors from Melbourne Politicians from Melbourne

Early life and medical career

Politics and later life

See also

References