William McCall (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
William Victor "Bill" McCall (24 May 1908 – 19 August 1968) was an Australia
n politician.
in Sydney
to bank officer William James McCall and Hilda Mary, née Bowman. He attended Sydney Grammar School
, but left in 1924 to support his family after his father's death. He established himself in business as a skin-trader and then a wool-buyer. He was persuaded to enter politics by the difficulties businesses experienced during the Great Depression
. In 1931, he attempted to gain pre-selection for the federal seat of Martin
for the United Australia Party
, losing to William Holman
. He was selected the following year to contest a by-election for the safe Labor
seat of East Sydney
, losing to Lang Labor
's Eddie Ward
by only 173 votes. He married Georgina Bessie Dart at Chatswood on 6 June 1934.
for Martin in the elections of that year. He was also elected to Sydney Municipal Council
in 1935.
McCall was generally supportive of the government of his party leader Joseph Lyons
, but became the leader of a back-bench revolt against Thomas Paterson
's ruling in 1936 that Mrs Mabel Freer could not enter Australia. He was successful in persuading the government to reverse the decision, after revealing Paterson's mishandling of the case. In 1938 he enlisted in the Militia
; he was commissioned in 1939 and in 1940 transferred to the Reserve of Officers. He supported an "all-out" effort during World War II
against both Germany
and Japan
.
McCall, together with several other government back-benchers, became disillusioned with the leadership of Prime Minister Robert Menzies
, and was disappointed when Menzies failed to form an all-party government with the Australian Labor Party
after the 1940 election
. On 28 August 1941, he declared that unless Menzies resigned, he would ensure that the government's majority in the House was removed. Menzies resigned the following day.
In the 1943 election
, McCall was defeated as part of the Labor landslide that brought John Curtin
to the premiership, losing to Fred Daly. He became a real estate agent, and in 1967 created a sensation when he offered almost $2 million for a site in Martin Place, Sydney
.
on 19 August 1968 in his speedboat; the vessel was found upturned and abandoned the next day near Collaroy
, and the two men were presumed drowned. McCall was survived by his wife and daughter, together with the son and daughter of his first marriage.
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.
Early life
McCall was born on 24 May 1908 at ChatswoodChatswood, New South Wales
Chatswood is a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Chatswood is located 10 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Willoughby. Chatswood West is a separate suburb...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to bank officer William James McCall and Hilda Mary, née Bowman. He attended Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School
Sydney Grammar School is an independent, non-denominational, selective, day school for boys, located in Darlinghurst, Edgecliff and St Ives, all suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, but left in 1924 to support his family after his father's death. He established himself in business as a skin-trader and then a wool-buyer. He was persuaded to enter politics by the difficulties businesses experienced during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. In 1931, he attempted to gain pre-selection for the federal seat of Martin
Division of Martin
The Division of Martin was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, and initially included the suburbs of Concord and Mortlake, although by the time it was abolished in 1955, it had moved to cover Abbotsford, Balmain...
for the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
, losing to William Holman
William Holman
William Arthur Holman was an Australian Labor Party Premier of New South Wales, Australia, who split with the party on the conscription issue in 1916 during World War I, and immediately became Premier of a conservative Nationalist Party Government.-Early life:Holman was born in St Pancras, London,...
. He was selected the following year to contest a by-election for the safe 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...
seat of East Sydney
Division of East Sydney
The Division of East Sydney was anAustralian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1969. It was named for the suburb of East Sydney. It was located in the inner...
, losing to Lang Labor
Lang Labor
Lang Labor was the name commonly used to describe three successive break-away sections of the Australian Labor Party, all led by the New South Wales Labor leader Jack Lang premier of NSW .-Initial opposition to Lang's leadership:...
's Eddie Ward
Eddie Ward
Edward John "Eddie" Ward , Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives for 32 years from 1931 until his death....
by only 173 votes. He married Georgina Bessie Dart at Chatswood on 6 June 1934.
Federal politics
Following Holman's death in 1934, 26-year-old McCall was selected to run for Martin. He had gained a reputation as an impressive public speaker, and was elected to Australian House of RepresentativesAustralian 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 Martin in the elections of that year. He was also elected to Sydney Municipal Council
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney is the Local Government Area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia...
in 1935.
McCall was generally supportive of the government of his party leader 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...
, but became the leader of a back-bench revolt against Thomas Paterson
Thomas Paterson
Thomas Paterson was an Australian farmer and politician.Paterson was born in Aston, near Birmingham, England and educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Ayr Grammar School. He became a shoe salesman in 1897 and later a branch manager, but resigned in 1908 to study farming...
's ruling in 1936 that Mrs Mabel Freer could not enter Australia. He was successful in persuading the government to reverse the decision, after revealing Paterson's mishandling of the case. In 1938 he enlisted in the Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
; he was commissioned in 1939 and in 1940 transferred to the Reserve of Officers. He supported an "all-out" effort during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
against both Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
McCall, together with several other government back-benchers, became disillusioned with the leadership of Prime Minister Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
, and was disappointed when Menzies failed to form an all-party government with 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...
after the 1940 election
Australian federal election, 1940
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
. On 28 August 1941, he declared that unless Menzies resigned, he would ensure that the government's majority in the House was removed. Menzies resigned the following day.
In the 1943 election
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
, McCall was defeated as part of the Labor landslide that brought John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
to the premiership, losing to Fred Daly. He became a real estate agent, and in 1967 created a sensation when he offered almost $2 million for a site in Martin Place, Sydney
Martin Place, Sydney
Martin Place, formerly known as Moore Street, is a pedestrian mall in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Home to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Macquarie Bank and other corporations, Martin Place is synonymous with corporate...
.
Later life
McCall's wife Georgina died in 1961; on 24 October the following year, he married secretary Mavis Michele Dearing. Together with his chauffeur, McCall left PittwaterPittwater
Pittwater is a body of water extending south from Broken Bay, New South Wales, Australia parallel to the coast.The waterway was surveyed by crew members of HMS Sirius in 1788, and named Pitt Water after British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger...
on 19 August 1968 in his speedboat; the vessel was found upturned and abandoned the next day near Collaroy
Collaroy, New South Wales
Collaroy is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Collaroy is located 22 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and part of the Northern Beaches region...
, and the two men were presumed drowned. McCall was survived by his wife and daughter, together with the son and daughter of his first marriage.