Allan MacDonald

Allan Nicoll MacDonald (25 August 1892 – 18 January 1978) was an Australian politician and government minister.

MacDonald was born at Lochee, Forfarshire, Scotland and educated at Arbroath High School. He migrated to Western Australia in 1911 and worked at Collie before moving to Perth in 1914, where he was employed as an accountant. In August 1914, he joined the Australian Imperial Force and served at the Gallipoli Campaign until he was evacuated due to illness. He spent the rest of the World War I in Egypt and England. In October 1919, he married Christiana Hildreth and they returned to Perth in 1920.

Political career

MacDonald was involved in raising funds for the Nationalist Party from 1925 and by 1930 was its general secretary in Western Australia. He was elected to the Senate at the 1934 election, representing the United Australia Party, although he took his seat early in March 1935, filling a casual vacancy. He was minister without portfolio assisting the Minister for Commerce from November 1937 to November 1938 and then assisting the Treasurer until April 1939. Due to his support for Billy Hughes for the leadership after the death of Joseph Lyons, he was left out of Robert Menzies' first two ministries, but was appointed Minister for External Territories in June 1941 in Menzies third ministry. He lost this position in October 1941, when the government was defeated. He lost his seat at the September 1946 election, with his...
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