William McCormack (27 April 1879 – 21 November 1947)McCormack, William (1879–1947)
– '' Australian Dictionary of Biography''. Retrieved 7 January 2015. was

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

, Australia, from 1925 to 1929.

Early life

McCormack was born on 27 April 1879 in St Lawrence, Queensland. He was the fourth of six children born to Mary (née Brennan) and Patrick McCormack; his mother was born in Ireland. His father owned a small grazing property, having previously worked as a carrier. McCormack was educated at a local state school and subsequently worked as a prospector in the area around Mount Morgan. He moved to North Queensland in 1904 and worked on the

Stannary Hills Tramways Stannary Hills Tramways are a heritage-listed pair of tramways at Irvinebank, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1901 to 1907. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 25 February 2005. History The Boon ...

. He developed a friendship with

Ted Theodore Edward Granville Theodore (29 December 1884 – 9 February 1950) was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland from 1919 to 1925, as leader of the state Labor Party. He later entered federal politics, serving as Treasurer in ...

who introduced him to the labour movement. In 1908, McCormack became the inaugural vice-president of the Amalgamated Workers' Association of North Queensland (AWA). He led successful industrial action on the

Etheridge railway line Etheridge railway line is a heritage-listed railway line between Mount Surprise and Forsayth, both in the Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia. It includes Mount Surprise railway station, Einasleigh railway station, Wirra Wirra railwa ...

and oversaw a rapid increase in membership. In 1909, McCormack was elected as the full-time paid secretary of the AWA, having been blackballed by employers due to his union activities. He became "North Queensland's most influential industrial leader", working towards amalgamations of smaller unions in line with the One Big Union ideal. He led a successful strike of sugar workers in 1911, reaching a favourable settlement on wages and employment conditions. He initially lent support to the 1912 Brisbane general strike, but considered the pretext for the strike to be flimsy and soon withdrew, gaining a reputation for pragmatism. The AWA merged into the

Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 80,000 members. It has exer ...

(AWU) in 1913 with McCormack becoming a vice-president of the AWU.

Politics

McCormack entered politics as member for Cairns 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 ...

at the election of 1912, a seat he held until his retirement from politics in 1930. After the 1915 state election, McCormack missed out upon a place in the ministry but was instead elected

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by Speaker (politics), presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled Legislative Assembly, legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures ...

. He held the position until 1919 and then was appointed home secretary in Ted Theodore's government. In 1923 he instead became secretary of public lands. In February 1925, McCormack was defeated by

William Gillies William Gillies (1865–1932) was a Scottish patriot and a socialist. He helped to form the Scots National League, which joined with other bodies to form the National Party of Scotland, which in turn evolved into the Scottish National Party (S ...

in the ballot to succeed Theodore as ALP leader and premier. However, Gillies lasted only eight months in the position and was succeeded by McCormack in October 1925. He led the ALP to victory at the 1926 state election.

Later life

McCormack died in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

on 21 November 1947 and was buried at the

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

. His funeral cortege proceeded from his Annerley residence to the cemetery.McCormack William
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormack, William 1879 births 1947 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Premiers of Queensland Burials at Toowong Cemetery Deputy Premiers of Queensland Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Treasurers of Queensland Australian trade unionists Australian miners