Allan McLean (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Allan McLean was an Australia
n politician, the 19th Premier of Victoria.
McLean was born in the highlands of Scotland
and came to Australia as a child in 1842 with his family. He later said 'were practically frozen out of Scotland' by 'an exceptionally severe winter'. His father, Charles McLean, was a grazier near Tarraville, in the Gippsland
region of Victoria
. McLean was educated at the local state school, assisted his father on his stations, and for a short period was on the staff of the Gippsland Times. About 1870, he acquired the lease of 'The Lowlands', a sheep station, on the shores of Lake Wellington near Sale
and in 1872, formed the firm of A. McLean and Company, Stock and Station Agents, at Maffra
. He became a shire councillor at Maffra in 1873, and as president of the shire was active in forming the Municipal Association of Victoria.
McLean was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Gippsland North in 1880. A conservative, he was President of the Board of Land and Works and Minister of Agriculture in the James Munro
ministry from 1890 to 1891, and Chief Secretary from 1891 to 1892, retaining this position under William Shiels
from 1892 to 1893. He became a minister without portfolio in the liberal government of George Turner
in 1894, but resigned in April 1898. In December 1899, he moved and carried a vote of no-confidence, becoming Premier and Chief Secretary, but his government lasted less than a year. At the 1900 elections the conservatives were defeated and Turner reclaimed the premiership.
McLean was an opponent of Australian federation and was not a member of the conventions which shaped the Australian Constitution. However, reassured to some degree by Deakin's composite stand as an Australian Briton, McLean sent him to London in January 1900 as Victoria's representative in negotiations with the British government.
In March 1901, however, he was elected a member of the first Australian House of Representatives
for the seat of Gippsland
, and sat as a supporter of the Protectionist Party
of Edmund Barton
and Alfred Deakin
. McLean belonged to the conservative wing of the party and opposed Deakin's increasingly warm alliance with the Labour Party
.
In April 1904 Deakin resigned and the Labour leader, Chris Watson
, formed a minority government. Watson resigned in August, and the Free Trade
leader George Reid
formed another minority government, supported by the conservative Protectionists. McLean came into the cabinet as Minister for Trade and Customs
, and his position was so strong that the government is often referred to as the Reid-McLean ministry
.
This composite ministry was, however, not a success. It was constantly being assailed by the Labour Party and the liberal Protectionist section of Deakin's followers, such as H. B. Higgins
and Isaac Isaacs
. It lasted for less than 11 months, and fell when Deakin withdrew his support. This episode caused great bitterness in the Protectionist ranks, and at the 1906 elections McLean was opposed in Gippsland by a liberal Protectionist, George Wise
, who narrowly defeated McLean with Labour support.
McLean, who had suffered for many years with a rheumatic
affliction and did not feel capable of doing justice to his constituents, declined to allow himself to be nominated as a candidate at subsequent elections. He died at his home at Albert Park
in 1911. Sir George Reid said of him that "no public man in Victoria was more widely or more affectionately esteemed" (My Reminiscences, p.238). He was twice married, once in 1866 to Miss Shinnock of Maffra, and subsequently, to Mrs McArthur (née Linton), who survived him with five sons and two daughters by the 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, the 19th Premier of Victoria.
McLean was born in the highlands of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and came to Australia as a child in 1842 with his family. He later said 'were practically frozen out of Scotland' by 'an exceptionally severe winter'. His father, Charles McLean, was a grazier near Tarraville, in the Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
region of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. McLean was educated at the local state school, assisted his father on his stations, and for a short period was on the staff of the Gippsland Times. About 1870, he acquired the lease of 'The Lowlands', a sheep station, on the shores of Lake Wellington near Sale
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
and in 1872, formed the firm of A. McLean and Company, Stock and Station Agents, at Maffra
Maffra, Victoria
Maffra is a town in Victoria, Australia, 220 km east of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Wellington local government area. It relies mainly on dairy farming and other agriculture, and is the site of one of Murray-Goulburn Cooperative's eight processing plants in Victoria...
. He became a shire councillor at Maffra in 1873, and as president of the shire was active in forming the Municipal Association of Victoria.
McLean was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
for Gippsland North in 1880. A conservative, he was President of the Board of Land and Works and Minister of Agriculture in the James Munro
James Munro
James Munro may refer to:*James Munro , Australian politician*James Wright Munro, New Zealand politician*James Munro , Scottish soldier* James Munro, pseudonym of British thriller writer James Mitchell...
ministry from 1890 to 1891, and Chief Secretary from 1891 to 1892, retaining this position under William Shiels
William Shiels
William Shiels , Australian colonial politician, was the 16th Premier of Victoria.-Biography:Shiels was born in County Londonderry, Ireland of a Presbyterian family and arrived in Melbourne as a child in 1853...
from 1892 to 1893. He became a minister without portfolio in the liberal government of George Turner
George Turner (Australian politician)
Sir George Turner, KCMG, PC , Australian politician, was the 18th Premier of Victoria and the first Treasurer of Australia in the federal Barton Ministry....
in 1894, but resigned in April 1898. In December 1899, he moved and carried a vote of no-confidence, becoming Premier and Chief Secretary, but his government lasted less than a year. At the 1900 elections the conservatives were defeated and Turner reclaimed the premiership.
McLean was an opponent of Australian federation and was not a member of the conventions which shaped the Australian Constitution. However, reassured to some degree by Deakin's composite stand as an Australian Briton, McLean sent him to London in January 1900 as Victoria's representative in negotiations with the British government.
In March 1901, however, he was elected a member of the first 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 Gippsland
Division of Gippsland
The Division of Gippsland is anAustralian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the Gippsland region of eastern Victoria, which in turn is named for Sir George Gipps, Governor of New South Wales...
, and sat as a supporter of the Protectionist Party
Protectionist Party
The Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1889 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. It argued that Australia needed protective tariffs to allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. It had its greatest strength in Victoria and in...
of Edmund Barton
Edmund Barton
Sir Edmund Barton, GCMG, KC , Australian politician and judge, was the first Prime Minister of Australia and a founding justice of the High Court of Australia....
and Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
. McLean belonged to the conservative wing of the party and opposed Deakin's increasingly warm alliance with the Labour 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...
.
In April 1904 Deakin resigned and the Labour leader, Chris Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
, formed a minority government. Watson resigned in August, and the Free Trade
Free Trade Party
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states and renamed the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906, was an Australian political party, formally organised between 1889 and 1909...
leader George Reid
George Reid (Australian politician)
Sir George Houstoun Reid, GCB, GCMG, KC was an Australian politician, Premier of New South Wales and the fourth Prime Minister of Australia....
formed another minority government, supported by the conservative Protectionists. McLean came into the cabinet as Minister for Trade and Customs
Minister for Trade (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Trade has been Dr. Craig Emerson since 14 September 2010.-Portfolio:Currently the Minister for Trade administers the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade jointly with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, although prior to 1987 there was a separate Department of Trade...
, and his position was so strong that the government is often referred to as the Reid-McLean ministry
Reid Ministry
The Reid Ministry was the fourth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and ran from 18 August 1904 to 5 July 1905.Free Trade PartyMcLean, Turner, McCay and Drake were conservative Protectionist Party members. Their acceptance of office in Reid's ministry, although it had Alfred Deakin's tacit approval,...
.
This composite ministry was, however, not a success. It was constantly being assailed by the Labour Party and the liberal Protectionist section of Deakin's followers, such as H. B. Higgins
H. B. Higgins
Henry Bournes Higgins , Australian politician and judge, always known in his lifetime as H. B. Higgins, was a highly influential figure in Australian politics and law.-Career:...
and Isaac Isaacs
Isaac Isaacs
Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs GCB GCMG KC was an Australian judge and politician, was the third Chief Justice of Australia, ninth Governor-General of Australia and the first born in Australia to occupy that post. He is the only person ever to have held both positions of Chief Justice of Australia and...
. It lasted for less than 11 months, and fell when Deakin withdrew his support. This episode caused great bitterness in the Protectionist ranks, and at the 1906 elections McLean was opposed in Gippsland by a liberal Protectionist, George Wise
George Wise
George Henry Wise was an Australian politician and solicitor.Wise was born in Melbourne and educated at Scotch College from five years of age to he matriculated in 1868. He became an articled clerk and was admitted to the bar in September 1874 and set up his own practice in 1877 in Sale...
, who narrowly defeated McLean with Labour support.
McLean, who had suffered for many years with a rheumatic
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
affliction and did not feel capable of doing justice to his constituents, declined to allow himself to be nominated as a candidate at subsequent elections. He died at his home at Albert Park
Albert Park, Victoria
Albert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
in 1911. Sir George Reid said of him that "no public man in Victoria was more widely or more affectionately esteemed" (My Reminiscences, p.238). He was twice married, once in 1866 to Miss Shinnock of Maffra, and subsequently, to Mrs McArthur (née Linton), who survived him with five sons and two daughters by the first marriage.