.gif)
John McDougall (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
John Keith "J.K." McDougall (10 August 1867 – 11 April 1957) was an Australia
n politician, poet and Labor
activist.
to farmer Donald McDougall and Margaret, née Keith. He attended Rossbridge Common School but left school at the age of 13 to assist on the family farm. His education continued informally, however, and began to develop an interest in politics, having rejected the Presbyterian ministry.
branch of the Political Labor Council in 1903, becoming president in 1904. He stood twice for Ararat Shire
Council, succeeding in 1904. In 1906 he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
for the seat of Wannon
after a successful campaign targeting the anti-union leanings of the Anti-Socialist sitting member, Arthur Robinson
. He rarely spoke in Parliament, but did considerable work for his constituency. McDougall also became associated with King O'Malley
and his group of Labor members. McDougall was defeated in Wannon in 1913
, largely due to a general swing against Labor and a redistribution, and returned to his farm, running unsuccessfully for Flinders
in 1914 and Grampians
in 1915 and 1917.
as well as those Labor members of whom he disapproved, including Andrew Fisher
, Chris Watson
, Ted Theodore
, James Scullin
, Billy Hughes
and Joseph Lyons
. Many of these contributions were submitted in verse; five books of McDougall's verse were published.
McDougall's poem The White Man's Burden, which denounced war
, was used by the Nationalist Party
in the 1919 election
as evidence of Labor's contempt for servicemen. Six returned servicemen, stirred by this rhetoric, lured McDougall from his home and left him in an Ararat street having been tarred and feathered.
On 3 March 1908 at Richmond
, McDougall had married Margaret Ellen McGennisken, who died in 1952. McDougall retired subsequently to write his memoirs, dying at Ararat on 11 April 1957, survived by two sons and a daughter.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician, poet and Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
activist.
Early life
McDougall was born at Learmonth, VictoriaLearmonth, Victoria
Learmonth is a town in western Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Sunraysia Highway, west of the state capital Melbourne, near the regional centre of Ballarat. At the 2006 census, Learmonth had a population of 289.-History:...
to farmer Donald McDougall and Margaret, née Keith. He attended Rossbridge Common School but left school at the age of 13 to assist on the family farm. His education continued informally, however, and began to develop an interest in politics, having rejected the Presbyterian ministry.
Politics
McDougall joined the AraratArarat, Victoria
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
branch of the Political Labor Council in 1903, becoming president in 1904. He stood twice for Ararat Shire
Shire of Ararat
The Shire of Ararat was a Local Government Area located about west-northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1861 until 1994...
Council, succeeding in 1904. In 1906 he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
for the seat of Wannon
Division of Wannon
The Division of Wannon is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-west of the state, and encompasses most of the Western Region of the state. It adjoins the South Australian border in the west, and the Bass Strait coast in the south. The Division...
after a successful campaign targeting the anti-union leanings of the Anti-Socialist sitting member, Arthur Robinson
Arthur Robinson (Australian politician)
Sir Arthur Robinson KCMG was an Australian politician.-Early life:Robinson was born at Carlton, Victoria, the son of journalist Anthony Bennett Robinson and Harriet, née Barton, the sister of Sir Edmund Barton. He attended Scotch College before studying law at the University of Melbourne...
. He rarely spoke in Parliament, but did considerable work for his constituency. McDougall also became associated with King O'Malley
King O'Malley
King O'Malley was an Australian politician. He was a member in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1896 to 1899, and the Australian House of Representatives from 1901 to 1917. O'Malley was also Minister for Home Affairs in the second and third Fisher Labor ministry...
and his group of Labor members. McDougall was defeated in Wannon in 1913
Australian federal election, 1913
Federal elections were held in Australia on 31 May 1913. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Andrew Fisher was defeated by the opposition Commonwealth Liberal...
, largely due to a general swing against Labor and a redistribution, and returned to his farm, running unsuccessfully for Flinders
Division of Flinders
The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
in 1914 and Grampians
Division of Grampians
The Division of Grampians was anAustralian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1922. It was named for the Grampian Ranges in central Victoria, and included the towns of...
in 1915 and 1917.
Later life
McDougall was a prolific contributor to Labor press, denouncing capitalismCapitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
as well as those Labor members of whom he disapproved, including Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher
Andrew Fisher was an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister on three separate occasions. Fisher's 1910-13 Labor ministry completed a vast legislative programme which made him, along with Protectionist Alfred Deakin, the founder of the statutory structure of the new nation...
, Chris Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
, Ted Theodore
Ted Theodore
Edward Granville Theodore was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Queensland 1919–25, a federal politician representing a New South Wales seat 1927–31, and Federal Treasurer 1929–30.-Early life:...
, James Scullin
James Scullin
James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
, Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
and Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
. Many of these contributions were submitted in verse; five books of McDougall's verse were published.
McDougall's poem The White Man's Burden, which denounced war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, was used by the Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
in the 1919 election
Australian federal election, 1919
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1919. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes defeated the opposition Australian...
as evidence of Labor's contempt for servicemen. Six returned servicemen, stirred by this rhetoric, lured McDougall from his home and left him in an Ararat street having been tarred and feathered.
On 3 March 1908 at Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, McDougall had married Margaret Ellen McGennisken, who died in 1952. McDougall retired subsequently to write his memoirs, dying at Ararat on 11 April 1957, survived by two sons and a daughter.