Joseph Cahill
Encyclopedia
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.
, and was educated at St Brigid's convent school, Marrickville
and the Patrician Brothers' College, both in Sydney. He became an apprentice at the Eveleigh workshops of the contemporary equivalent of NSW RailCorp
in 1916.
Politically active even at the age of fifteen, he was even more politically active during his twenties. He opposed Conscription in 1916, and lost his railway job in 1917 after taking part in a workers' strike
and had difficulty finding permanent employment afterwards, working in many small jobs (including selling insurance
for a year). In 1922, he married Esmey Mary Kelly.
ticket for the Legislative Assembly
seat of Dulwich Hill
in 1917, but won St George
in 1925. His progress in the party was delayed by false rumours that he had been bribed to help bring down the Lang
government, repeated by Lang's Labor daily
. With the abolition of St George in 1930, he ran for Arncliffe
and was appointed party whip
. He failed to be re-elected in 1932 in the anti-Lang landslide.
In 1935, Cahill returned to Parliament, again as Member for Arncliffe. He remained in Parliament for the rest of his career, although on Arncliffe's abolition in 1941, he switched his seat to the new electorate of Cook's River
. He was also appointed Secretary for Public Works that year, and promoted in 1944 to Minister for Local Government, a position he would hold for eight years; he used this position to augment local governments' powers. He established the State Dockyard at Newcastle
and the State Brickworks at Homebush Bay
. He also supervised the establishment of the Electricity Authority, which brought electricity to much of rural New South Wales and the Cumberland County Council plan. In 1949, James McGirr
appointed him as Deputy Premier.
, though the building was not completed and opened to the public until fourteen years after he had died.
His political skills, his determination to avoid another Jack Lang
-style split in the party, and - in particular - his government's close alliance with Sydney's Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal Norman Gilroy, ensured that Labor in New South Wales avoided the devastating divisions which forced the party out of office in Victoria, Western Australia, and Queensland during the 1950s Split. No earlier premier of New South Wales had remained in office as long as Cahill did, and none would manage to surpass the length of Cahill's tenure until Sir Robert Askin
in the 1970s.
Cahill died at Sydney Hospital
of a myocardial infarction
and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery
in Sydney. His wife, two daughters, and three sons survived him. One of his sons, Thomas James Cahill, was similarly a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
in 1952, a D.Litt from the University of New England
in 1956, and a D.Sc from the New South Wales University of Technology
in 1956.
The new public high school in his former seat decided to honour his memory by naming themselves in 1961 as the "JJ Cahill Memorial High School".
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...
from 1952 to 1959. He is best remembered as the Premier who approved construction on the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, and for his work increasing the authority of local government in the state.
Early years
Joe Cahill, as he was popularly known, was born in RedfernRedfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, and was educated at St Brigid's convent school, Marrickville
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
and the Patrician Brothers' College, both in Sydney. He became an apprentice at the Eveleigh workshops of the contemporary equivalent of NSW RailCorp
Rail Corporation New South Wales
Rail Corporation New South Wales is a statutory authority of the New South Wales government. RailCorp owns, operates and maintains the Sydney suburban and interurban rail network which is marketed under the CityRail brand; in addition to operating rural passenger services under the CountryLink...
in 1916.
Politically active even at the age of fifteen, he was even more politically active during his twenties. He opposed Conscription in 1916, and lost his railway job in 1917 after taking part in a workers' strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
and had difficulty finding permanent employment afterwards, working in many small jobs (including selling insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
for a year). In 1922, he married Esmey Mary Kelly.
Political career
Cahill ran on an Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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...
ticket for the 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...
seat of Dulwich Hill
Electoral district of Dulwich Hill
Dulwich Hill was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1913, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill. With the introduction of proportional representation, it was absorbed into the multi-member electorate of...
in 1917, but won St George
Electoral district of St George
St George was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, originally created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member districts, from part of Canterbury and named after the St George district...
in 1925. His progress in the party was delayed by false rumours that he had been bribed to help bring down the Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
government, repeated by Lang's Labor daily
Labor daily
The Labor Daily was a Sydney-based journal/newspaper of the early to mid 20th century. An organ of the Australian Labor Party, it was published in Sydney by Stanley Roy Wasson after the ailing Daily Mail was absorbed by Labor Papers Ltd, who began publication under that name on 6 January 1922 with...
. With the abolition of St George in 1930, he ran for Arncliffe
Electoral district of Arncliffe
Arncliffe was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1930, partly replacing St George, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Arncliffe. It was abolished in 1941 and partly replaced by Cook's River.-Members for Arncliffe:...
and was appointed party whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. He failed to be re-elected in 1932 in the anti-Lang landslide.
In 1935, Cahill returned to Parliament, again as Member for Arncliffe. He remained in Parliament for the rest of his career, although on Arncliffe's abolition in 1941, he switched his seat to the new electorate of Cook's River
Electoral district of Cook's River
Cook's River was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1941, partly replacing Arncliffe, and named after inner southwestern Sydney's Cooks River. It was abolished in 1973....
. He was also appointed Secretary for Public Works that year, and promoted in 1944 to Minister for Local Government, a position he would hold for eight years; he used this position to augment local governments' powers. He established the State Dockyard at Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and the State Brickworks at Homebush Bay
Homebush Bay, New South Wales
Homebush Bay was the former name of a suburb of western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia that took in the suburbs of Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point and part of the neighbouring suburb of Lidcombe. Homebush Bay is located 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business...
. He also supervised the establishment of the Electricity Authority, which brought electricity to much of rural New South Wales and the Cumberland County Council plan. In 1949, James McGirr
James McGirr
James McGirr was the Labor Premier of New South Wales from 6 February 1947 to 3 April 1952.A Catholic, McGirr was the seventh son of John Patrick McGirr, farmer and Irish immigrant, and Mary McGirr, whose maiden name was O'Sullivan. Born in Parkes, New South Wales, he grew up on a dairy farm near...
appointed him as Deputy Premier.
Premier
Cahill succeeded McGirr as New South Wales Premier in 1952, and held the position until his death in office. He won the state elections of 1953, 1956, and 1959. It was in November 1954 that he first began to champion the idea of an opera house in SydneySydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, though the building was not completed and opened to the public until fourteen years after he had died.
His political skills, his determination to avoid another Jack Lang
Jack Lang (Australian politician)
John Thomas Lang , usually referred to as J.T. Lang during his career, and familiarly known as "Jack" and nicknamed "The Big Fella" was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales for two terms...
-style split in the party, and - in particular - his government's close alliance with Sydney's Catholic Archbishop, Cardinal Norman Gilroy, ensured that Labor in New South Wales avoided the devastating divisions which forced the party out of office in Victoria, Western Australia, and Queensland during the 1950s Split. No earlier premier of New South Wales had remained in office as long as Cahill did, and none would manage to surpass the length of Cahill's tenure until Sir Robert Askin
Robert Askin
Sir Robert William Askin GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971...
in the 1970s.
Cahill died at Sydney Hospital
Sydney Hospital
Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first received the name Sydney Hospital in 1881.Currently...
of a myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney. His wife, two daughters, and three sons survived him. One of his sons, Thomas James Cahill, was similarly a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Honours
Cahill received an honorary LL.D from the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1952, a D.Litt from the University of New England
University of New England, Australia
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
in 1956, and a D.Sc from the New South Wales University of Technology
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in 1956.
The new public high school in his former seat decided to honour his memory by naming themselves in 1961 as the "JJ Cahill Memorial High School".