McMahon, Sir William (1908-1988), was prime minister of Australia from March 1971 to December 1972. He became prime minister at the age of 63, making him one of Australia’s oldest prime ministers. McMahon, a member of the Liberal Party, succeeded Prime Minister John G. Gorton. Gorton, also a Liberal, had left office because of disagreements within the party.
McMahon took office at the head of a coalition (partnership) government. It consisted of two parties—the Liberal Party, a generally conservative party despite its name, and the Country Party, which represented the interests of rural Australians. The coalition had controlled the government for more than 20 years.
Early life
Boyhood and education.
William McMahon, called Billy even as an adult, was born in Sydney on Feb. 23, 1908. His family had made a fortune in overland shipping and was one of Australia’s oldest and wealthiest families. His parents were William Daniel McMahon, a solicitor (lawyer), and Mary Walder McMahon. Billy’s mother died when he was a boy, and he was raised by his aunt and uncle, Elsie and Samuel Walder. Samuel Walder was a successful sail and tent manufacturer and a former lord mayor of Sydney. 
Billy was educated at Sydney Grammar School, one of Australia’s best-known prep schools (private schools that prepare students for university education). He graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in law in 1933.
Legal and military career.
McMahon became a solicitor with Allen, Allen & Hemsley (now Allens Arthur Robinson), the oldest law firm in Sydney. In 1940, during World War II, he left the firm to enlist in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force, the branch of the Australian Army that fought in foreign wars. However, he could not serve overseas because he had a partial hearing loss. McMahon left the Army in 1945, after rising to the rank of major. As a civilian, he returned to the University of Sydney. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1949.
Entry into politics.
In 1949, McMahon gave a speech on behalf of a friend who was running for office. The speech was so impressive that Liberal Party leaders urged him to run for office himself. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1949. He took his seat representing Lowe, New South Wales, on Feb. 22, 1950. He held the seat for nearly 33 years, through 13 elections, until he retired in 1982.
Cabinet minister
In 1951, Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies made McMahon his minister for air and minister for the navy. McMahon held the posts until 1954. Over the next 15 years, he held several other portfolios (official areas of responsibility). He was minister for social services from 1954 to 1956; minister for primary industry from 1956 to 1958; and minister for labor and national service from 1958 to 1966. From 1964 to 1966, he also served as vice president of the Federal Executive Council, a group of ministers who advise the governor general. The governor general represents the British monarch in Australia. In January 1966, McMahon was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party. He served as federal treasurer from 1966 to 1969 and as minister for external affairs (soon renamed minister for foreign affairs) from 1969 to 1971.
Some of McMahon’s policies brought him into conflict with John McEwen, the leader of the Country Party. McEwen used his influence to prevent McMahon from becoming prime minister in 1968. In 1971, however, the Liberals elected McMahon their party leader. He took office as prime minister on March 10 at the head of a Liberal-Country coalition.
Marriage and family
On Dec. 11, 1965, at the age of 57, McMahon had married Sonia Rachel Hopkins (1932-2010), the daughter of a wealthy textile merchant. Sonia was 25 years younger than her husband. She was a former fashion model who had worked for the French designer Yves Saint Laurent. She also worked as an occupational therapist.
The McMahons had three children: Melinda, born in 1966; Julian, born in 1968; and Debra, born in 1971. Debra was born during McMahon’s term as prime minister. Her birth made McMahon one of Australia’s few prime ministers with a newborn baby. As an adult, Julian McMahon became a successful television actor in the United States (see McMahon, Julian).
Prime minister
McMahon’s coalition government held office for less than two years and was hampered by splits between the Country and Liberal parties. As a result, it passed little legislation. One important law it did enact was the Child Care Act of 1972. The law provided government funding for nonprofit child care centers.
In international relations, McMahon cooperated closely with the United States. He also encouraged the expansion of Australian trade with both Communist and non-Communist nations. He especially helped increase trade with Japan, which became Australia’s largest export market. In 1972, he announced that Australia would speed up the withdrawal of its troops from the Vietnam War (1959-1975).
An election took place on Dec. 2, 1972, during a period of rising inflation (price increases) and growing unemployment. Largely because of these economic problems, the Australian Labor Party swept to victory at the polls. The Labor victory ended 23 years of Liberal-Country government. McMahon resigned as leader of the Liberal Party. The Labor Party’s Gough Whitlam replaced him as prime minister on December 5. When McMahon left the Cabinet, he had been a minister continuously for 21 years 6 months, a record in the Australian Parliament.
Later years
McMahon remained in Parliament after his party’s defeat. In 1977, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his public service. He then became known as Sir William McMahon. In 1980, he gained the honorary title father of the House of Representatives. The title is held by the member with the longest continuous service. McMahon resigned from Parliament on Jan. 4, 1982.
After leaving Parliament, McMahon worked as an adviser to the Bank of America and other financial firms. He died of cancer in Sydney on March 31, 1988. In 2009, the division of Prospect, an electoral district in the western suburbs of Sydney, was renamed the division of McMahon in his honor.
