Sir William John Farquhar "Black Jack" McDonald (3 October 1911 – 13 September 1995) was an Australian politician. He was born at Binnum in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

to grazier John Nicholson McDonald and Sarah McInnes, and attended the local state school and then Scotch College in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. He was a grazier in South Australia from 1930, moving to a sheep station near Neuarpurr in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in 1935. On 15 August 1935 he married Evelyn Margaret Koch, with whom he had two daughters. He served with the AIF in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and after his return served on Kowree Shire Council from 1946 to 1961 (president 1948–49). A member of the

Liberal and Country Party The Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division), branded as Liberal Victoria, and commonly known as the Victorian Liberals, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1949 as ...

, he was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

in 1947 for Dundas. Defeated in 1952, he was re-elected in 1955 and elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

. Knighted in 1958, he resigned the speakership in 1967 to become Minister of Lands, Soldier Settlement and Conservation. McDonald lost his seat in 1970. He sold his station in 1980 and retired to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. He died in 1995.

References

External links

Australian Dictionary Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, William 1911 births 1995 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Ministers for the Environment (Victoria) Speakers of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Australian Knights Bachelor Australian politicians awarded knighthoods 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II