Sir Magnus Cameron Cormack KBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (12 February 1906 – 26 November 1994) was a Scottish

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...

-born Australia

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.

Born in Caithness-shire

Caithness

Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...

, he migrated to Australia as a child, and was educated at St Peter's College

St Peter's College, Adelaide

St Peter's College, , is an independent boy's school in the South Australian capital of Adelaide...

 in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

. He became a farmer and grazier in the western district 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....

 before serving in the military 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...

, 1940-1945. He served on Kowree Shire Council

Shire of Kowree

The Shire of Kowree was a Local Government Area located in western Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1862 until 1995.-History:Kowree was first incorporated as a district on 24 June 1862, and became a shire on 26 January 1872...

 and was President of the Victorian 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...

 1948-1949.

In 1951, he was elected to the Australian Senate

Australian Senate

The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...

 as a Liberal Senator for Victoria. He was defeated in the 1953 Senate election

Australian Senate election, 1953

Half-senate elections were held in Australia on 9 May 1953.-See also:*Candidates of the Australian Senate election, 1953*Members of the Australian Senate, 1953–1956-References:* election results in Australia since 1890...

, but was re-elected in 1961. On 17 August 1971, he was appointed President of the Senate

President of the Australian Senate

The President of the Australian Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The presiding officer of the lower house is the Speaker of the House of Representatives....

, succeeding the long-serving Alister McMullin

Alister McMullin

Sir Alister Maxwell McMullin was an Australian politician. Born in Scone, New South Wales, he was educated at state schools before becoming a farmer and grazier. He served in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1940-1945, and when he returned served on Upper Hunter Shire Council...

. He held this position until 8 July 1974, when he was succeeded by 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...

 Senator Justin O'Byrne

Justin O'Byrne

Justin Hilary O'Byrne, AO was a long-serving Australian Labor Party politician who represented Tasmania in the Federal Senate from 1947 to 1981, acting as President of the Senate from 1974 to 1975.-Biography:...

. He remained a Senator until his retirement, which took effect in 1978.

Cormack was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

(KBE) "in recognition of service to political and public service" in 1970. He died in 1994.