Sir Walter Massy-Greene

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) ...

(6 November 187416 November 1952) was an Australian politician and businessman. As a

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and

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member of the

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, he became a protégé of Prime Minister

Billy Hughes William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...

and was groomed as his successor. He served as Minister for Trade and Customs (1919–1921),

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(1921–1923), and

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(1921–1923), but his prime ministerial aspirations were brought to an abrupt halt by his defeat at the 1922 federal election. Massy-Greene subsequently served two terms as a

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for

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(1923–1925, 1926–1938), but never regained his earlier influence in politics. In retirement he held numerous company directorships.

Early life

Walter Massy Greene was born on 6 November 1874 in

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

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, England (now part of

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). He was the second son of Julia (née Sandeman) and John Greene, a brewer and hotel proprietor. His maternal grandfather was General Robert Turnbull Sandeman, and his uncle Sir

Robert Groves Sandeman Sir Robert Groves Sandeman, KCSI (1835–1892) was a British Indian Army officer and colonial administrator. He was known for his activities in Balochistan, where he introduced a system of "tribal pacification" that endured until the partitio ...

was a colonial administrator in India. The family surname was Greene, but at some point Walter chose to treat his middle name as an additional surname; he officially added a hyphen in March 1933. Walter Massy-Greene - Talma & Co (cropped)

Walter Massy-Greene - Talma & Co (cropped)

Greene grew up in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

before boarding at Lynton House College in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. He was sent to Australia in 1891 for health reasons, and worked as a farm and sawmill labourer in northern

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

for a period. He was later joined by his family who took up land near

Kyneton, Victoria Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. The town has four main streets: ...

. In 1895, Greene joined the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway, New South Wales, Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches ...

and was posted to the gold-rush town of

Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

. After a few years he joined the bank's head office in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, and then was transferred to

Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a city in northeastern New South Wales, Australia and the main population centre in the City of Lismore Local government in Australia, local government area; it is also a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State. It ...

. From 1902 he farmed a property near Nimbin with his two brothers. He was elected to the newly created Terania Shire Council in 1906 and chosen as the inaugural shire president.

Politics

Massy-Greene joined the newly created Federal Liberal League in 1909. At the 1910 federal election, he was elected to the

Division of Richmond The Division of Richmond is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. History The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. The division i ...

with the support of small farmers. He joined the parliamentary

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 ...

and soon became known for his attacks on the

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's financial legislation. Massy-Greene retained his seat at the 1913 election, which saw the Liberals win a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives. He was appointed as

party whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...

by Prime Minister

Joseph Cook Sir Joseph Cook, (7 December 1860 – 30 July 1947) was an Australian politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1913 to 1914. He was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1913 to 1917, after earlier serving ...

, and subsequently played a key role in maintaining party discipline. In 1917, following the

Australian Labor Party split of 1916 The Australian Labor Party split of 1916 occurred following severe disagreement within the Australian Labor Party over the issue of proposed World War I conscription in Australia. Labor Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes had, by 1916, beco ...

, the Liberal Party and the

National Labor Party The National Labor Party was formed by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes in 1916, following the 1916 Labor split on the issue of World War I conscription in Australia. Hughes had taken over as leader of the Australian Labor Party and Pri ...

formed a coalition and Massy-Greene became a member of the resultant Nationalist Party. He continued to represent Richmond until 1922 when he was defeated by a Country Party candidate. He was appointed as a Nationalist Party Senator for New South Wales in 1923 and served to the 1925 election, when he was elected to the Senate from July 1926. He remained in the Senate until his retirement in 1938. In the

fourth Hughes Ministry The Fourth Hughes ministry (Nationalist) was the 14th ministry of the Government of Australia. It was led by the country's 7th Prime Minister, Billy Hughes. The Fourth Hughes ministry succeeded the Third Hughes ministry, which dissolved on 8 J ...

Massy-Greene was an Honorary Minister in charge of matters relating to price-fixing (27 March 191817 January 1919). He was then promoted to be Minister for Trade and Customs (17 January 191921 December 1921). On 10 March 1921 he became the first

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 ...

, a position he held until 5 February 1923. He then became

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

until 5 February 1923. He was relegated to the back bench during the Bruce Ministry. In the First Lyons Ministry he became the minister assisting the Leader of the Government in the Senate (6 January 193223 June 1932) and Assistant Treasurer (6 January 193225 September 1933). He was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in June 1933, in recognition of his service as Assistant Treasurer.It's an Honour
/ref> He subsequently formally changed his surname to Massy-Greene to reflect his usage over the previous two decades.

Later life

Business career

In 1936, Massy-Greene became chairman of Associated Pulp and Paper Mills Ltd. on its formation, a post which he held until his death. He was also the chairman of the

Emu Bay Railway The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lyell ...

Company and a director of the

Electrolytic Zinc Company An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon dis ...

, Felt and Textiles of Australia Ltd., Yarra Falls Ltd., and many other companies.

Other activities

During World War II, Massy-Greene served as chairman of the Treasury Finance Committee and as a member of the National Security Capital Issues Advisory Board and Defence Board of Business Administration. In 1940, he led the Australian delegation to the Eastern Group Supply Conference which led to the creation of the

Eastern Group Supply Council The Eastern Group Supply Council (EGSC) was a wartime body set up in British India in 1940 to co-ordinate the build-up of war materiel in the British colonies and dominions east of Suez, with the goal of reducing the amount of supplies shipped from ...

. Although he never attended university, Massy-Greene also served on 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 ...

council from 1939 to 1949, including as deputy chancellor from 1945 to 1947.

Personal life

Massy-Greene married Lula May Lomax in

Mungindi, New South Wales Mungindi is a town and locality on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. The town is within Moree Plains Shire in New South Wales. Within Queensland, the locality is split between the Shire of Balonne (the western part) ...

on 6 February 1915. The couple had three children together. His son Sir Brian Massy-Greene served as chairman of the Commonwealth Banking Corporation. After the deaths of

George Pearce Sir George Foster Pearce KCVO (14 January 1870 – 24 June 1952) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Western Australia from 1901 to 1938. He began his career in the Labor Party but later joined the National Labor Party, t ...

and Billy Hughes in 1952, Massy-Greene was the sole survivor of the Hughes Nationalist ministries. On 13 November 1952, he was admitted to

Freemasons Hospital, Melbourne Established in 1937, Epworth Freemasons (formerly the Freemasons Hospital), located at 166 Clarendon St in East Melbourne, was a practical expression of the work of Freemasonry in the Victorian community. It is now run by Epworth Healthcare. ...

, where he underwent an operation on his gall bladder the following day. After "progressing satisfactorily" he died on 16 November. A

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

was held at St John's Anglican Church, Toorak, before a cremation at

Springvale Botanical Cemetery The Springvale Botanical Cemetery is the largest crematorium and memorial park in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Springvale, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. History Originally known as The Necropolis Springvale, the cemetery co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massy-Greene, Walter Members of the Cabinet of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Richmond Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1874 births 1952 deaths Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Australia Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Defence ministers of Australia Australian businesspeople 20th-century Australian politicians People from Camberwell English emigrants to colonial Australia Australian people of Anglo-Irish descent Australian Ministers for Health People from Wimbledon, London