Sir Michael Neil O'Sullivan KBE (2 August 1900 – 4 July 1968) was an Australian politician and lawyer. He served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

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 , establishe ...

from 1947 to 1962, representing the

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 ...

. He held senior ministerial positions in the post-war Menzies Government, serving as Minister for Trade and Customs (1949–56), Minister for the Navy (1956), and

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

(1956–58).

Early life

O'Sullivan was born on 2 August 1900 in

Toowong, Queensland Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills ...

. He was the fifth child born to Patrick Alban O'Sullivan and his wife Mary Bridget (née Macgroarty), both of Irish Catholic descent. His uncles Thomas O'Sullivan and

Neil MacGroarty Neil Francis MacGroarty (1 May 1888 – 10 August 1971) was a solicitor and a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Early life MacGroarty was born in Jane Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, to Irish-born parents Daniel Cannon MacGroa ...

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 h ...

, as did his paternal grandfather

Patrick O'Sullivan Patrick O'Sullivan (born February 1, 1985) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and Pho ...

. O'Sullivan attended the state school in

Taringa Taringa is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Taringa had a population of 8,376 people. Geography Taringa is by road south-west of the Brisbane GPO. The suburb of Taringa borders Brisbane's Mt Coot-Tha, Indo ...

before completing his education at St. Joseph's Nudgee College. He followed his father into the legal profession, serving

articles of clerkship Articled clerk is a title used in Commonwealth countries for one who is studying to be an accountant or a lawyer. In doing so, they are put under the supervision of someone already in the profession, now usually for two years, but previously three ...

with firms in Brisbane and

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

. He did not attend law school but was admitted as a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

in December 1922 by examination. He subsequently took over his father's practice in Brisbane, later forming a partnership with

John Joseph Rowell John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

. Regarded as "a leader of Brisbane's mercantile sector", O'Sullivan was president of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce from 1936 to 1937 and the Property Owners' Protection Association from 1937 to 1938. He served in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

from May 1942 to December 1944, performing intelligence and administration in Australia and the South-West Pacific. He was commissioned as a flying officer and met future prime minister

John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician who served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a l ...

while stationed at

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to th ...

Political career

O'Sullivan ran unsuccessfully for the

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 the Division of Brisbane at the 1934 federal election. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Queensland UAP in the seat of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

at the 1941 state election. At the 1946 federal election, O'Sullivan won a seat in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United A ...

as one of only three non-

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

members in the Senate. Following the 1949 election, he became leader of the government in the Senate and he was appointed Minister for Trade and Customs in the Menzies government. He was appointed Minister for the Navy in January 1956. In August 1956, he was appointed

following the resignation of John Spicer and in October 1956, he was appointed

Vice-President of the Executive Council The Vice-President of the Executive Council is the minister in the Government of Australia who acts as the presiding officer of meetings of the Federal Executive Council when the Governor-General is absent. The Vice-President of the Executiv ...

following the resignation of Eric Harrison, but he retired from the ministry in 1958. He did not stand for re-election at the 1961 election. After leaving politics he became a director of LJ Hooker."Neil O’Sullivan”,

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

, 5 July 1968. Retrieved 26 November 2017.

Views

In his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

to parliament, O'Sullivan spoke of his belief in the doctrine of

natural rights Some philosophers distinguish two types of rights, natural rights and legal rights. * Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are ''universal'', '' fundamental'' an ...

deriving from God. He was a

social conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...

, supporting heavy censorship as a safeguard against "indecency, blasphemy and sedition". Although he voted for the ''Matrimonial Causes Act 1959'', which established uniform national divorce laws, he believed that divorce violated the

divine law Divine law is any body of law that is perceived as deriving from a transcendent source, such as the will of God or godsin contrast to man-made law or to secular law. According to Angelos Chaniotis and Rudolph F. Peters, divine laws are typicall ...

and stated that "a valid consummated Christian marriage is indissoluble". He was an anti-communist and cited the papal encyclical '' Quadragesimo anno'' in a 1947 speech against the Chifley government's bank nationalisation bill.

Personal life

O'Sullivan married Jessie McEncroe on 3 April 1929, with whom he had two sons. He was a devout Catholic and was a close connection of Archbishop

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-s ...

, with his biographer Duncan Waterson stating that "on matters of faith, morals, censorship and conservative Catholic social thought the two were as one". O'Sullivan was made Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1959. O'Sullivan died unexpectedly of a coronary occlusion while visiting Sydney in 1968. He was survived by his wife and two sons. He was accorded a state funeral and was buried in Nudgee Cemetery.

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Osullivan, Neil Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Cabinet of Australia 20th-century Australian lawyers 1900 births 1968 deaths Burials at Nudgee Cemetery 20th-century Australian politicians Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers