Sir John Cameron McPhee,

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

(4 July 1878 – 14 September 1952) was an Australian politician and member of the

Tasmanian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. The Assembly has 25 m ...

. He was

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of ...

from 15 June 1928 to 15 March 1934.

Early life

McPhee was born in Yan Yean,

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 ...

in 1878, the son of Scottish shopkeeper Donald McPhee and his Victorian-born wife Elizabeth McLaughlin. He was educated in state schools until the age of 14 and then spent some time working on the family farm. He then undertook a printing apprenticeship, and worked at a newspaper in

Bairnsdale Bairnsdale () ( Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia in a region traditionally owned by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated population of Bairnsdale urban area was 15,411 at Ju ...

, where he learned reporting, compositing and typesetting.R. P. Davis
McPhee, Sir John Cameron (1878 - 1952)
'' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, pp 355–356. McPhee moved to Hobart,

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

in 1908, where he ran a business college for a number of years. He also started a stationery and business equipment company (J. C. McPhee Pty Ltd), was co-proprietor of the ''Huon Times'' newspaper, and the director of several Tasmanian companies.

Political career

McPhee was a strong supporter of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

, and was supported by temperance interests when he unsuccessfully stood for election to the

at the 1916 election and a subsequent 1918

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

. He was successful at the 1919 election, and won a seat in the

Division of Denison The Division of Denison was an Australian electoral division in Tasmania, before being replaced by the Division of Clark as part of a 2016–17 redistribution. History The division was one of the five established when the former Division o ...

for the

Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party, also known as the National Party, was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the latter formed by Prime Min ...

. McPhee was appointed to cabinet as Chief Secretary and Minister for Railways from 22 August 1922,Ministers - House of Assembly - 1856 to 1950

Parliament of Tasmania The Parliament of Tasmania is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of the Governor of Tasmania, the Tasmanian House of Assembly (the lower house), and ...

. but resigned both posts a year later for business reasons. In October 1923, the Premier Walter Lee was forced to resign by dissidents from the Nationalist and Country parties, and

Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He began his career in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), ...

was asked to form a Labor government by the

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...

. McPhee supported the Lyons government in a subsequent

no-confidence vote A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

and, as

Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

from 29 July 1925, was noted for his co-operative and cordial relationship with Lyons. Reversing the Nationalist Party's heavy defeat at the 1925 election, McPhee led the Nationalists to victory in the 1928 election, by a narrow single seat over Labor. He was sworn in as Premier on 15 June, also taking the portfolios of Treasurer, Minister for Forestry and the Hydro-Electric Department. The Nationalists won a landslide victory in the 1931 election, winning 19 out of the 30 seats with a nine-seat margin over Labor. Prior to the 1934 election, McPhee had been suffering recurring heart problems, and decided to stand down as Premier, handing over to

Sir Walter Lee Sir Walter Lee or Walter Attelee (c. 1350–1395), of Albury, Hertfordshire, was an English politician. Life Lee was born in either 1348 or 1353. He was the son and heir of Sir John Lee of Albury, who died in 1370, and was the stewart of the hous ...

on 15 March and retiring from politics. He was knighted

in June. McPhee attempted a political comeback in 1937, unsuccessfully running for the seat of Denison at the 1937 federal election. He was more successful in the 1941 state election, winning a seat in

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, although Labor under

Robert Cosgrove Sir Robert Cosgrove (28 December 1884 – 25 August 1969) was an Australian politician who was the 30th and longest-serving Premier of Tasmania. He held office for over 18 years, serving from 1939 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1958. His involve ...

won that election. He retired on 23 November 1946 to concentrate on his business and humanitarian interests, and died in his sleep from cardiovascular disease in 1952, aged 74.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McPhee, John 1878 births 1952 deaths Premiers of Tasmania Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Tasmania Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian Anglicans Australian people of Scottish descent Leaders of the Opposition in Tasmania Treasurers of Tasmania Politicians from Melbourne