Ross McLarty
Encyclopedia
Sir Duncan Ross McLarty KBE MM
(17 March 189122 December 1962) was the 17th Premier of Western Australia
.
, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty, a farmer and grazier and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
, and his wife Mary Jane, née Campbell. He attended Pinjarra State School and the Perth Boys' High School
.
On 12 January 1916 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
at the Blackboy Hill depot. On 27 March he was promoted to corporal and assigned to the 44th Battalion, arriving in England on 21 July. The 44th Battalion departed England for the Western Front
on 25 November 1916. McLarty was promoted to sergeant on 29 March 1917. In June 1918, McLarty was awarded the Military Medal
for bravery in the field on 25 January 1918 at Passchendaele.
McLarty was commissioned on 1 May 1918 as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 August. This was the rank he held until being discharged. On 28 August 1918, during the Second Battle of the Somme
, McLarty was wounded in the left hand. While convalescing in London he had a chance meeting with his brother Douglas who was serving with the 16th Battalion.
After the war, McLarty returned to farming at Pinjarra and married Violet Olive Margaret Herron on 25 October 1922. He served as a justice of the peace
from 1925 and belonged to the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia
.
candidate with the slogan 'A practical farmer for a farming electorate', winning the lower house
seat of Murray-Wellington. At the 1933 election
, the Nationalists were defeated by the Labor Party
under Philip Collier
, beginning a 14-year period in opposition for the conservative parties. On 14 December 1946, McLarty succeeded the retired Robert Ross McDonald as leader of the newly formed Liberal Party
, which had amalgamated with the Nationalists.
saw the Liberal-Country coalition unexpectedly defeat the Labor government
of premier Frank Wise
who had held the position for only two years. For the first time since 1933, the Liberal (formerly Nationalist) group in Parliament was larger than the Country Party's and, under the negotiated coalition agreement, McLarty became premier and the Country Party's Arthur Watts became his deputy.
Together with the premiership, he held the Treasury, Housing, Forests and North-West portfolios. His administration coincided with rapid post-war expansion of the Western Australian economy and, in 1950, conducted negotiations with BP
to develop an oil refinery at Kwinana which subsequently developed into the state's main industrial district
. His government accepted federal funding to establish the State Housing Commission. His premiership was, however, marred by discord between the two coalition parties. He was knight
ed in January 1953 and lost office at the election next month, continuing as opposition leader for another four years until March 1957.
Throughout his parliamentary career, McLarty travelled home to Pinjarra for most weekends. He was chairman of the Murray District Hospital Board and held a number of pastoral investments, including a controlling interest in Liveringa station, near Derby
. He resigned from parliament because of poor health in May 1962 and died in December. McLarty was accorded a state funeral
and is buried in the Pinjarra cemetery.
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Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
(17 March 189122 December 1962) was the 17th Premier of Western Australia
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
.
Early life
McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western AustraliaPinjarra, Western Australia
Pinjarra is a town in the Peel region of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, from the state capital, Perth and south-east of the coastal city of Mandurah. Its local government area is the Shire of Murray. At the 2006 census, Pinjarra had a population of 3,279.Pinjarra is an area...
, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty, a farmer and grazier and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
, and his wife Mary Jane, née Campbell. He attended Pinjarra State School and the Perth Boys' High School
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts is a contemporary visual and performance arts venue located in Perth, Western Australia.-History:...
.
On 12 January 1916 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
at the Blackboy Hill depot. On 27 March he was promoted to corporal and assigned to the 44th Battalion, arriving in England on 21 July. The 44th Battalion departed England for the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
on 25 November 1916. McLarty was promoted to sergeant on 29 March 1917. In June 1918, McLarty was awarded the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
for bravery in the field on 25 January 1918 at Passchendaele.
McLarty was commissioned on 1 May 1918 as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant on 1 August. This was the rank he held until being discharged. On 28 August 1918, during the Second Battle of the Somme
Second Battle of the Somme (1918)
During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
, McLarty was wounded in the left hand. While convalescing in London he had a chance meeting with his brother Douglas who was serving with the 16th Battalion.
After the war, McLarty returned to farming at Pinjarra and married Violet Olive Margaret Herron on 25 October 1922. He served as a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
from 1925 and belonged to the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia
Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
.
Parliamentary career
He campaigned in the 1930 state election as a NationalistNationalist 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...
candidate with the slogan 'A practical farmer for a farming electorate', winning the lower house
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Murray-Wellington. At the 1933 election
Western Australian state election, 1933
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 8 April 1933 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The one-term Nationalist-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir James Mitchell, was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Philip Collier.The election...
, the Nationalists were defeated by the 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...
under Philip Collier
Philip Collier
Philip Collier was Premier of Western Australia for nine years, the longest ever term for an Australian Labor Party premier....
, beginning a 14-year period in opposition for the conservative parties. On 14 December 1946, McLarty succeeded the retired Robert Ross McDonald as leader of the newly formed Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, which had amalgamated with the Nationalists.
Premiership
The 1947 electionWestern Australian state election, 1947
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 15 March 1947 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The result was a hung parliament—the four-term Labor government, led by Premier Frank Wise, was defeated with a swing of approximately 7%, but the Liberal-Country Party...
saw the Liberal-Country coalition unexpectedly defeat the Labor government
Wise Ministry
The Wise Ministry was the 20th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia. It succeeded the Willcock Ministry on 3 August 1945 and was led by Labor Premier Frank Wise, who had previously been Minister for Lands and Agriculture. All of the Ministers continued from the previous Ministry,...
of premier Frank Wise
Frank Wise
Frank Joseph Scott Wise AO was an Australian Labor Party politician and the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 July 1945 in the closing stages of the Second World War, following the resignation of his predecessor due to ill health...
who had held the position for only two years. For the first time since 1933, the Liberal (formerly Nationalist) group in Parliament was larger than the Country Party's and, under the negotiated coalition agreement, McLarty became premier and the Country Party's Arthur Watts became his deputy.
Together with the premiership, he held the Treasury, Housing, Forests and North-West portfolios. His administration coincided with rapid post-war expansion of the Western Australian economy and, in 1950, conducted negotiations with BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
to develop an oil refinery at Kwinana which subsequently developed into the state's main industrial district
Industrial district
Industrial district was initially introduced as a term to describe an area where workers of a monolithic heavy industry live within walking-distance of their places of work...
. His government accepted federal funding to establish the State Housing Commission. His premiership was, however, marred by discord between the two coalition parties. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in January 1953 and lost office at the election next month, continuing as opposition leader for another four years until March 1957.
Throughout his parliamentary career, McLarty travelled home to Pinjarra for most weekends. He was chairman of the Murray District Hospital Board and held a number of pastoral investments, including a controlling interest in Liveringa station, near Derby
Derby, Western Australia
Derby is a town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Derby had a population of 3,093. Along with Broome and Kununurra, it is one of only three towns in the Kimberley to have a population over 2,000...
. He resigned from parliament because of poor health in May 1962 and died in December. McLarty was accorded a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
and is buried in the Pinjarra cemetery.
Further reading
- McLarty, D. R. (1951) The Development of Western Australia London: Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, United Kingdom Branch "An address given in the rooms of The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (United Kingdom Branch), Westminster Hall, on March 20th, 1951, with the Rt. Hon Lord Llewellin, C.B.E., M.C. in the chair" -Inside cover.
- West, K. Power in the Liberal Party (Melb, 1965)
- The West Australian, 13 Feb 1957, 19 May 1962, 24 December 1962
- McLarty, M. Sir Duncan Ross McLarty, KBE, MM (State Library of Western Australia)
- McLarty family papers, 1887-1969 (State Library of Western Australia)
- Sir Ross McLarty, political ephemera (PR3597/1-10, State Library of Western Australia)
- Jamieson, R. interviews with R. Doig (transcript, 1984–86, State Library of Western Australia).
- Layman, Lenore McLarty, Sir Duncan Ross (1891 - 1962) Australian Dictionary of Biography - online edition published by Australian National University
External links
- Duncan Ross McLarty (Liberal) 1 April 1947 to 23 February 1953 Constitutional Centre of Western Australia
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