The Hon John Michael Alfred McMahon (21 February 1914 – 19 May 1975) was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 from 1950 until 1968. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party

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...

 (ALP) and held ministerial positions including Minister for Transport and Minister for Lands.

Early life

McMahon was born in Hobart, Tasmania and was the son of a clerk who later became the Mayor of Balmain. He was educated at the Christian Brother's school, Rozelle and was employed as a store manager for Coles & Co.

Coles Group

Coles Group Limited was an Australian public company that operated numerous retail chains. It was Australia's second-largest retailer, behind Woolworths Limited...

. He served in the Second Australian Imperial Force

Second Australian Imperial Force

The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...

 in the Engineers' Corps for 5 years and reached the rank of Sergeant. He later ran a delicatessen in Rozelle and was a member of the shop assistants' union. He was elected as an alderman on Balmain Municipal Council

Municipality of Leichhardt

The Municipality of Leichhardt is a Local Government Area in the inner-west of Sydney, in state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The Municipality of Leichhardt stands on land that traditionally belonged to the Gadigal and Wangal people, of the Eora nation...

 between 1942 and 1944.

State Parliament

McMahon entered the New South Wales Parliament at the 1950

New South Wales state election, 1950

The 1950 New South Wales State state election was held on 17 June 1950. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1949 redistribution...

 state election as the labor member for Balmain

Electoral district of Balmain

Balmain is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's Inner West. It includes the suburbs and localities of Annandale, Balmain, Balmain East, Birchgrove, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Glebe Island, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rozelle,...

. He defeated the sitting Labor member Mary Quirk

Mary Quirk

Mary Lily May Quirk was an Australian politician.Born in Coonamble in New South Wales to farmer Julius Deal and his wife Emma Margaretta White, she was educated at Rozelle before commencing work as a domestic servant. She was later employed as a shop assistant with Grace Brothers, leading to her...

 who had lost her party endorsement. He retained the seat at 5 subsequent elections and retired at the 1968

New South Wales state election, 1968

The 1968 New South Wales state election was held on 24 February 1968. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1966 redistribution...

 election.

Government

MacMahon was a member of the governments of Joseph Cahill

Joseph Cahill

John Joseph Cahill was Premier of New South Wales in Australia from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.-Early years:Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known,...

, Robert Heffron

Robert Heffron

Robert James "Bob" Heffron was one of the longest-serving New South Wales state parliamentarians. He was the Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales from 28 October 1959, to 30 April 1964.-Early years:...

 and Jack Renshaw

Jack Renshaw

John Brophy "Jack" Renshaw AC was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965.-Early life:...

. He was appointed as a Minister without portfolio in 1957 and became the first Minister for Lands in 1959. In 1960 he was commissioned as the Minister for Transport and he held this position until the defeat of the Labor government at the 1965

New South Wales state election, 1965

The 1965 New South Wales state election was held on 1 May 1965. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution...

election. At that election the Labor Party was criticized by the opposition for its lack of vision in providing transport infrastructure.