Nicholas Edward McKenna (9 September 1895 – 22 April 1974) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for

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from 1944 to 1968. He held ministerial office in the Chifley Government from 1946 to 1949 as

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

and Minister for Social Services. He was later Leader of the Opposition in the Senate for a record term of 15 years (1951–1966).

Early life

McKenna was born in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton and educated at St. Joseph's Christian Brothers' College, North Melbourne between 1904 and 1912. In 1909 aged 13, McKenna and another boy were instrumental in saving the life of a man floundering in the water off the pier at Elwood. Their local newspaper describing the incident said that, "...they furnish a bright example to other youths." McKenna excelled in his schooling passing seven subjects in the Senior Public University Examination in 1911 and eventually gaining second place in the national Federal Public Service Examination in 1912. At age 17 he joined the

Commonwealth Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the Go ...

in the Auditor General's office. He earned an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from 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 no ...

in 1923 and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1928. He moved to Hobart in 1929 and married Kathleen Mary Coghlan in January 1930—they had a son and daughter.

Political career

McKenna was elected as a senator for

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

at the 1943 election, representing the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

. He was appointed as

and Minister for Social Services in the second Chifley Ministry in November 1946 and held those positions until the defeat of the Chifley government at the 1949 election. He campaigned energetically for the

1946 referendums Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

and, with the passage of the social services proposal, he was in charge of the government's attempt to introduce a national health scheme. McKenna was leader of the opposition in the Senate from 1951 to 1966. He took an active part in the fight against the banning of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political parties, Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membersh ...

in the 1951 referendum. He considered that it was a high point in his career that Australia has "decided not to become a police state". He retired from the Senate in July 1968.

Later life

McKenna's wife and son both died in 1969. He survived them by five years, eventually passing away in 1974 at the Sydney suburb of

Crows Nest, New South Wales Crows Nest is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is also part of the North Sydney region, 5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Co ...

, survived by his daughter. He was a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenna, Nick Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Cabinet of Australia 1895 births 1974 deaths University of Melbourne alumni Australian people of Irish descent Australian Roman Catholics 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Ministers for Health People from Carlton, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne People educated at St Joseph's College, Melbourne