Sir Robert Ross McDonald QC (25 January 1888 – 25 March 1964) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly 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 1933 to 1950, representing the seat of West Perth. He served as leader of the Nationalist Party from 1938 to 1945, and of 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 ...

(its successor) from 1945 to 1946, during the period when those parties were the junior partners in the coalition with the Country Party.

Early life

McDonald was born in

Albany, Western Australia Albany ( ; nys, Kinjarling) is a port city in the Great Southern region in the Australian state of Western Australia, southeast of Perth, the state capital. The city centre is at the northern edge of Princess Royal Harbour, which is a ...

, to Mary Jane (née Elder) and Angus McDonald. He boarded at

Scotch College, Perth , motto_translation = May God be with us, as He was with our forefathers , established = , founders = , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day ...

, and then studied law by correspondence at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. He was called to bar in 1910. McDonald enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916, and later served as a lower-level officer with various artillery units in France and Belgium. He had reached the rank of lieutenant by the end of the war. On his return to Australia in 1919, McDonald joined the law firm of Robert Thomson Robinson (a fellow Albany native), eventually becoming a partner. He was a part-time lecturer 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 ...

from 1928 to 1931, and also served as the foundation vice-president of the Australian branch of the

International Commission of Jurists The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is an international human rights non-governmental organization. It is a standing group of 60 eminent jurists—including senior judges, attorneys and academics—who work to develop national and inte ...

.Robert Ross McDonald
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 16 May 2016.

Parliamentary career

At the 1933 state election, McDonald stood as the Nationalist candidate for West Perth, and was elected in spite of his party's landslide defeat. The Nationalists were reduced to just eight seats of 50, becoming only the third-largest party in parliament (behind

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 ...

and the Country Party).

Norbert Keenan Sir Norbert Michael Keenan QC (30 January 1864 – 24 April 1954) was an Australian lawyer and politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1905 to 1911 and again from 1930 to 1950. He was the leader of the ...

succeeded the former premier James Mitchell as the party's leader, but McDonald soon became one of the party's most prominent MPs, due to his debating style. When Keenan, aged 74, resigned as leader in April 1938, McDonald was elected in his place. The Nationalists had failed to gain any seats at the 1936 election, and the Country Party (under leaders of the opposition Charles Latham and Arthur Watts) would remain the senior party in the coalition throughout McDonald's period as leadership. In 1944 and 1945, McDonald was involved in the affiliation of Western Australia's Nationalist Party to the new federal Liberal Party, and the corresponding name change. He resigned as leader of the Liberal Party in December 1946, in favour of

Ross McLarty Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, (17 March 1891 – 22 December 1962) was an Australian politician and the 17th Premier of Western Australia. Early life McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty ...

, with the belief that the party would be better served by a leader from a rural constituency. As well as being the first WA Liberal leader he was the only WA Liberal leader who did not lead the party to an election until Matt Birney. After the 1947 state election, which saw the return of a coalition government, McDonald was appointed Attorney-General, Minister for Police, and Minister for Native Affairs in the new

McLarty–Watts ministry The McLarty–Watts Ministry was the 21st Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Liberal Premier Sir Ross McLarty and his deputy, Country Party leader Arthur Watts. It succeeded the Wise Ministry on 1 April 1947, following the ...

. After a cabinet reshuffle in January 1948, his titles became Minister for Native Affairs, Minister for Housing, and Minister for Forestry. McDonald resigned from the ministry in October 1949 and from parliament at the 1950 election.

Later life

McDonald was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in June 1950 for his services to the state. After leaving politics, he served as a member of 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 ...

of the University of Western Australia (from 1950 to 1961) and as chairman of

Royal Perth Hospital Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is a 450-bed adult and teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. History The hospital traces its history back to the first colonial hospital, whi ...

(from 1956 to 1960). In 1961, the University of Western Australia granted McDonald an honorary

doctorate of law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

(LL.D.). He died at

St John of God Subiaco Hospital St John of God Subiaco Hospital is a private hospital in Subiaco, Western Australia, founded in . History Archbishop of Perth Matthew Gibney invited eight sisters of St John of God to Western Australia in 1895 to help people with typhoid fever ...

in March 1964 (aged 76), having never married.

Notes

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Robert Ross 1888 births 1964 deaths Attorneys-General of Western Australia Australian Army officers Australian barristers Australian Knights Bachelor Australian military personnel of World War I Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian Presbyterians Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Albany, Western Australia People educated at Scotch College, Perth University of Adelaide alumni Academic staff of the University of Western Australia Australian King's Counsel 20th-century Australian politicians Australian monarchists