William McCormack | |
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| 22nd Premier of Queensland | |
| In office 22 October 1925 – 21 May 1929 | |
| Deputy | William Forgan Smith |
| Preceded by | William Gillies |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Edward Moore |
| Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 12 July 1915 – 9 September 1919 | |
| Preceded by | William Drayton Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | William Lennon |
| 27th Treasurer of Queensland | |
| In office 22 October 1925 – 21 May 1929 | |
| Preceded by | William Gillies |
| Succeeded by | Walter Barnes |
| Member of theQueensland Legislative Assembly forCairns | |
| In office 27 April 1912 – 21 February 1930 | |
| Preceded by | John Mann |
| Succeeded by | John O'Keefe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1879-04-27)27 April 1879 St Lawrence, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 21 November 1947(1947-11-21) (aged 68) Annerley, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | Toowong Cemetery |
| Political party | Labor |
| Occupation | Tin miner,Trade union organiser |
William McCormack (27 April 1879 – 21 November 1947)[1] wasPremier of Queensland, Australia, from 1925 to 1929.[2]
McCormack was born on 27 April 1879 inSt Lawrence, Queensland. He was the fourth of six children born to Mary (née Brennan) and Patrick McCormack; his mother was born in Ireland. His father owned a small grazing property, having previously worked as a carrier.[1]
McCormack was educated at a local state school and subsequently worked as a prospector in the area aroundMount Morgan. He moved toNorth Queensland in 1904 and worked on theStannary Hills Tramways. He developed a friendship withTed Theodore who introduced him to the labour movement. In 1908, McCormack became the inaugural vice-president of the Amalgamated Workers' Association of North Queensland (AWA). He led successful industrial action on theEtheridge railway line and oversaw a rapid increase in membership.[1]
In 1909, McCormack was elected as the full-time paid secretary of the AWA, having been blackballed by employers due to his union activities. He became "North Queensland's most influential industrial leader", working towards amalgamations of smaller unions in line with theOne Big Union ideal. He led a successful strike of sugar workers in 1911, reaching a favourable settlement on wages and employment conditions. He initially lent support to the1912 Brisbane general strike, but considered the pretext for the strike to be flimsy and soon withdrew, gaining a reputation for pragmatism. The AWA merged into theAustralian Workers' Union (AWU) in 1913 with McCormack becoming a vice-president of the AWU.[1]
McCormack entered politics as member forCairns in theQueensland Legislative Assembly at the election of 1912, a seat he held until his retirement from politics in 1930.[2]
After the1915 state election, McCormack missed out upon a place in the ministry but was instead electedSpeaker of the Legislative Assembly. He held the position until 1919 and then was appointed home secretary in Ted Theodore's government. In 1923 he instead became secretary of public lands.[1]
In February 1925, McCormack was defeated byWilliam Gillies in the ballot to succeed Theodore as ALP leader and premier. However, Gillies lasted only eight months in the position and was succeeded by McCormack in October 1925. He led the ALP to victory at the1926 state election.[1]
McCormack died inBrisbane on 21 November 1947 and was buried at theToowong Cemetery. His funeral cortege proceeded from his Annerley residence to the cemetery.[2][3][4]
| Parliament of Queensland | ||
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| Preceded by | Member for Cairns 1912–1930 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 1915–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Deputy Premier of Queensland 1925 | Succeeded by |
| Treasurer of Queensland 1925–1929 | Succeeded by | |
| Premier of Queensland 1925–1929 | Succeeded by | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Labor Party in Queensland 1925-1929 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
