Roy Frederick Fagan (28 December 1905 – 18 July 1990) was an Australian Labor Party politician, who was Deputy Premier of Tasmania from 1959 to 1969.

Early life

Fagan was born in

Waratah, Tasmania Waratah is a locality and town in North Western Tasmania adjacent to Savage River National Park. The town was constructed to support a tin mine at Mount Bischoff. It is built at the top of a waterfall, and water was diverted from the stream to ...

in 1905, the eldest son of James Fagan and Annie Theresa Breheney. His younger siblings were two brothers, Kevin and Vin, and a sister, Sheila. His Catholic mother sent him to

St Virgil's College St Virgil's College is an independent Catholic primary and secondary day school for boys, located over two campuses in Austins Ferry and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1911 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, the College has ...

in Hobart to be schooled, although his Catholicism lapsed once he moved out of home and he was later known to be an agnostic who did not attend Mass. On leaving school, Fagan joined the staff of the Commonwealth Bank where he worked until 1929, when he resigned to attend university.

Education and legal career

In 1930, Fagan commenced studies for a law degree at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...

. In 1931, he was articled to the firm Gatenby, Johnson & Walker, and in May 1934 he graduated and was admitted to the

Bachelor of Laws 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 Ch ...

(LLB). During his studies, he had taken a keen interest in all aspects of university life, and was heavily involved with the Tasmania University Union, serving as the body's president for three years. He was

admitted to the Bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in August 1934, after what the Hobart ''Mercury'' newspaper called a "brilliant university career". Fagan also completed a Bachelor of Arts and graduated in May 1935.

Political career

Fagan was asked by the Premier of Tasmania,

Robert Cosgrove Sir Robert Cosgrove (28 December 1884 – 25 August 1969) was an Australian politician who was the 30th and longest-serving Premier of Tasmania. He held office for over 18 years, serving from 1939 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1958. His involve ...

, to stand for the seat of

Wilmot Wilmot may refer to: Places Australia *Division of Wilmot, an abolished Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania * Wilmot, Tasmania, a locality in the North-West Region Canada *Wilmot, Nova Scotia, an unincorporated rural community and former t ...

at the

1946 Tasmanian state election The 1946 Tasmanian state election was held on 23 November 1946 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 30 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation system — six members were ...

. Immediately following declaration of his election, Fagan was appointed Attorney-General in Cosgrove's cabinet.

Personal life

On 8 December 1925, aged 19, Fagan married Estelle Cooney, a shop assistant, in Wynyard. Cooney was pregnant at the time of their marriage, but did not live with Fagan between the time of the daughter's birth or afterwards. Fagan, although he remained married to Estelle, from the early 1930s was in a domestic relationship with fellow university student Mavis Smith. When Estelle died in 1946, Fagan married Smith at a Catholic church in Bellerive on 28 January 1947. They had three sons. In his later years, Fagan suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease and passed away at the age of 84 in Hobart in 1990. The Roy Fagan Centre is a mental health facility in Lenah Valley, Hobart dedicated to older persons with psychiatric illness and/or cognitive impairment, and is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fagan, Roy 1905 births 1990 deaths Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Deputy Premiers of Tasmania Australian barristers Australian solicitors University of Tasmania alumni Academic staff of the University of Tasmania People with Alzheimer's disease Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Tasmania 20th-century Australian politicians