MS 4654 Papers of Sir John McEwen (1900-1980)
- Papers
- 1943-80
- 15.2 m (180 boxes)
- The collection is partly available for research and partly not available for research: parts of Series 1, 10, 11, 18, 20-21
and 23 are closed for at least 30 years from date of creation, while the remaining material is available for research.
The first instalments of the McEwen Papers were presented to the
Library by the Country Party Secretariat in December 1972 and April 1975. In
March 1979 Sir John McEwen presented a large group of papers and he made
further donations in July 1979 and September 1980. The remaining papers were
received from Lady McEwen in 1981 and 1982.
There are no papers relating to McEwen's early life and, apart from
some election papers, virtually nothing on the first twenty years of his
political career. The great bulk of the papers date from the late 1950s to
1971, when McEwen retired from Parliament.
There are also papers relating to his activities in his retirement.
There is a great range of material in the collection: correspondence,
minutes, appointment diaries, invitations, speeches, notes for speeches, press
releases, cuttings, leaflets, publications, and a small number of photographs.
Apart from personal correspondence, the largest series relate to the Australian
Country Party, Federal elections, the electorate of Murray, and McEwen's
activities as Minister for Trade (1956-63) and Minister for Trade and Industry
(1963-71).
John McEwen was born at Chiltern in
Victoria on 29 March 1900. Both his parents died by the time he was seven. He
left school at the age of 13 and worked for a Melbourne pharmaceutical firm,
before joining the Commonwealth Public Service in 1915. In 1918 he enlisted in
the AIF, but the War ended before he could go overseas. He acquired a soldier
settlement block in the Stanhope district, started dairy farming and joined the
Country Party. By the 1930s, having sold his original block, he had turned to
sheep farming.
After an unsuccessful attempt to enter the Victorian Parliament in
1932, McEwen was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat of Echuca
in 1934. Following electoral redistributions, he became the Member for Indi in
1937 and the Member for Murray in 1949. In 1938 he was appointed Minister for
the Interior in the Lyons Government. He gave up office when Menzies came to
power in April 1939, but was appointed Minister for External Affairs in March
1940. In October 1940 he became Minister for Air and Civil Aviation and held
the post until the defeat of the Fadden Government in October 1941. He was a
member of the Australian Advisory War Council until the end of the War. In 1943
he was elected Deputy Leader of the Country Party.
From December 1949 until February 1971 McEwen was continuously in
office. He was Minister for Commerce and Agriculture until January 1956, when
he became Minister for Trade. In March 1958 he succeeded Fadden as Leader of
the Country Party and thereby became Deputy Prime Minister. In December 1963
his portfolio was changed to Minister for Trade and Industry and he retained
that post in the Holt and Gorton governments. Following the death of Holt, he
was Prime Minister from 19 December 1967 to 10 January 1968. He resigned from
the Government and Parliament on 1 February 1971.
McEwen married Annie McLeod in 1921. Dame Annie died in 1967 and McEwen
married Mary Byrne in 1968. He was made a Companion of Honour in 1969 and
knighted in 1971. He died in Melbourne on 20 November 1980.
Series Box
1. General correspondence, 1953-80 1-17
2. Diaries, 1951-73 18-20
3. Invitations, 1961-80 21-32
4. Speeches, 1950-71 33-58
5. Press statements, 1958-70 59-64
6. Interviews and press conferences, 1957-69 65
7. Extracts from Hansards, 1962-70 66
8. Newspaper cuttings, 1961-79 67-69
9. Photographs 70
10. Australian Country Party, 1952-78 71-89
11. Elections, 1943-74 90-107
12. Member for Murray, 1949-71 108-17
13. Minister for Commerce and Agriculture, 1952-55 117
14. Minister for Trade, 1956-63 118-27
15. Minister for Trade and Industry, 1964-71 128-66
16. Deputy Prime Minister, 1960-71 167-70
17. Prime Minister, 1967-68 170
18. Overseas visits, 1958-77 171-72
19. Honours, 1960-72 173-75
20. Condolences, 1961-74 176
21. Clubs and societies, 1962-80 177-78
22. Retirement, 1970-71 179
23. Papers of Lady McEwen, 1980 180
24. Miscellaneous publications 180
1. General correspondence, 1953-80
The series includes correspondence on a wide range of political
subjects, letters of introduction and thanks, and letters of congratulation on
McEwen's appointment as Deputy Prime Minister (1958) and his knighthood
(1971).
Box
1. 1953-58
2. 1958-61
3. 1961
4. 1961
5. 1961-62
6. 1962
7. 1962
8. 1963-67
9. 1968-69
10. 1969-71
11. 1971
12. 1971
13. 1971
14. 1972
15. 1972-73
16. 1972-74
17. 1971-80
2. Diaries, 1951-73
McEwen only kept appointment diaries; he did not keep diaries recording
his activities or thoughts. There is no diary for 1953 and there are two
diaries for 1963.
Box
18. 1951-60
19. 1961-66
20. 1967-73
3. Invitations, 1961-80
The series contains invitations and also letters relating to functions
and events to which McEwen had been invited. Many of the functions took place
in the Murray Electorate and further correspondence may possibly be found in
Series 12.
Box
21. 1961-62
22. 1962-65
23. 1965-66
24. 1966-67
25. 1967-68
26. 1968
27. 1969
28. 1970
29. 1970
30. 1970
31. 1971-74
32. 1974-80
4. Speeches, 1950-71
This series contains speeches, addresses and lectures by McEwen. The
final group in the series comprises speeches by other public figures, including
Sir William McKell, Ian Sinclair, Sir Arthur Warner, Sir Paul Hasluck, Sir
Alister McMullin, Doug Anthony and Lyndon Johnson.
Box
33. 1950-58
34. 1958-60
35. 1960
36. 1960
37. 1961
38. 1961
39. 1962
40. 1962
41. 1963
42. 1963
43. 1964
44. 1964
45. 1965
46. 1965
47. 1965-66
48. 1966
49. 1966-67
50. 1967
4. Speeches (Contd.)
Box
51. 1967-68
52. 1968
53. 1968-69
54. 1969
55. 1969-70
56. 1970
57. 1970-71
Selected speeches, 1965-71
58. Speeches by other public figures, 1960-71
5. Press Statements, 1958-70
The series contains copies of press statements issued either by McEwen
or by his Department.
Box
59. 1958-60
60. 1961-62
61. 1963-65
62. 1966-67
63. 1968-70
64. 1970
6. Interviews and Press Conferences, 1957-69
The series comprises transcripts of a few radio and television addresses, interviews and press
conferences given by McEwen.
Box
64. Radio and television transcripts, 1964
65. Interviews and press conferences, 1957-69
7. Extracts from Hansards, 1962-70
The series comprises extracts from copies of Hansard of speeches
by McEwen.
Box
66. 1962-70
8. Newspaper cuttings, 1961-79
The series contains miscellaneous newspaper cuttings, mostly reporting
speeches by McEwen. Cuttings can also be found in many of the other more
specific series.
Box
67. 1961-63
68. 1964, 1966, 1969-71
69. 1971-72, 1975, 1979
9. Photographs
This small series contains a miscellaneous collection of photographs.
The include a set of prints of photographs taken by A.P. Fleming (later the
National Librarian) during McEwen's official visit to the Northern Territory in
1938.
Box
70. Photographs
10. Australian Country Party, 1952-78
This large series contains minutes, agenda papers, policy papers,
correspondence and other material relating to both the parliamentary and
organisational wings of the Country Party. Related material will be found in
Series 11 and 12.
Box
71. Federal Parliamentary Party, 1958, 1967-70
Federal Council, 1952-60
72. Federal Council, 1961-68
73. Federal Council, 1968-70
Federal Executive, 1958-67
74. Federal Executive, 1967-69
National Secretariat, 1969, 1975-78
New South Wales Branch, 1958-60
75. New South Wales Branch, 1960-63
76. New South Wales Branch, 1962-75
77. Queensland Branch, 1961-69
Liberal Country League of South 1965
Australia,
Tasmanian Branch, 1962-63
78. Tasmanian Branch, 1965
Victorian Branch, 1953-62
79. Victorian Branch, 1963-70
Western Australian Branch, 1958
80. Western Australian Branch, 1959-67
81. Western Australian Branch, 1969
Australian Capital Territory 1965-66
Branch,
Policy papers, 1961-70
82. Policy papers, 1969-70
Correspondence, 1954-60
83. Correspondence, 1960-62
84. Correspondence, 1963-66
85. Correspondence, 1965-70
86. Correspondence, 1967-69
87. Correspondence, 1969-70
88. Correspondence, 1970-76
Miscellaneous papers, 1960-67
89. Miscellaneous papers, 1967-70
11. Elections, 1943-74
This series contains speeches, broadcasts, campaign reports,
correspondence, notes, itineraries, results and cuttings relating to Federal
and State general elections and some by-elections.
Box
90. Federal elections, 1943-54
91. Federal elections, 1954-58
92. Federal elections, 1958
93. Federal elections, 1958-61
94. Federal elections, 1961
95. Federal elections, 1961
96. Federal elections, 1963
97. Federal elections, 1963
98. Senate election, 1964
House of Representatives election, 1966
99. House of Representatives election, 1966
100. House of Representatives election, 1966
101. House of Representatives election, 1966
Senate election, 1967
102. House of Representatives election, 1969
103. Senate election, 1970
104. Senate election, 1970
House of Representatives election, 1974
Riverina by-election, 1965
Dawson by-election, 1966
105. Dawson by-election, 1966
Capricornia by-election, 1967
Gwydir by-election, 1967
A.C.T. by-election, 1970
106. Tasmanian election, 1964
Victorian election, 1964
107. N.S.W. election, 1965
State elections, 1968
Queensland election, 1969
State elections, 1970
12. Member for Murray, 1949-71
McEwen represented the Victorian electorate of Murray from 1949 until
his retirement in 1971, having previously been the Member for Echuca (1934-37)
and Indi (1937-49). The series mostly comprises correspondence with
individuals, organisations and businesses in the electorate. Many of the files
deal with postal and telephone services and with repatriation and social
services. There are also lists of polling booths in the electorate and other
general papers.
Box
108. 1949-62
109. 1959-61
110. 1958-61
111. 1961-62
112. 1962-66
113. 1964-66
114. 1966-67
115. 1967-70
116. 1970-71
117. 1971
13. Minister for Commerce and Agriculture, 1952-55
McEwen was Minister for Commerce and Agriculture from 1949 to 1956, but
only retained a very small quantity (3 folders) of correspondence relating to
this portfolio.
Box
117. Correspondence 1952-55
14. Minister for Trade, 1956-63
The series contains correspondence, speeches, addresses, press releases
and articles relating to McEwen's activities as Minister for Trade. It includes
correspondence with Sir John Crawford and papers relating to the European
Economic Community (1961-62).
Box
118. 1956-60
119. 1960-63
120. 1961
121. 1961-64
122. 1961-62
123. 1962
124. 1963 A-F
125. 1963 G-M
126. 1963 N-T
127. 1963 T-Y
1963 Press correspondence,
1963 Letters of introduction
1963 Special articles
15. Minister for Trade and Industry, 1964-71
This large series contains correspondence, minutes, speeches and
cuttings relating to McEwen's ministerial activities in the Menzies, Holt and
Gorton governments.
Box
128. 1964 A-G
129. 1964 H-M
130. 1964 M-T
131. 1964 U-Z
Agricultural shows 1964
Special articles 1964
Thank you letters 1964
Export Display, Melbourne, Sept 1964
Press correspondence 1964
1965 A-C
132. 1965 D-L
133. 1965.M-R
134. 1665 S-Z
Press correspondence 1965
135. Addresses to conferences and 1965
lectures,
136. Addresses to conferences and 1965
lectures,
137. Addresses to conferences and 1965
lectures,
Special articles, 1965
Visit to Western Australia, July 1965
Visit to Queensland, Dec. 1965
Thank you letters, 1965
1966 A
138. 1966 B-F
139. 1966 G-Mc
140. 1966 M-S
141. 1966 S-Z
Letters of introduction, 1966
142. Speeches and addresses, 1966
Special articles, 1966
143. Thank you letters, 1966
Miscellaneous letters, 1966
1967 A-C
144. 1967 D-L
145. 1967 M-R
146. 1967 S-W
147. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1967
Addresses and speeches, 1967
Thank you letters, 1967
D. Anthony, 1967
148. Addresses and speeches, 1967
Visit to Bulgaria, 1967
I. Sinclair, 1967
149. 1968 A-D
150. 1968 E-Mc
151. 1968 M-R
152. 1968 S-Z
153. Interviews, 1968
Addresses and speeches, 1968
Repatriation cases, 1968
I. Sinclair, 1968
154. Letters of introduction, 1968
D. Anthony, 1968
Budget, 1968
Disasters, 1968
Flags, 1968
John McEwen House, 1968
National Service, 1968
155. Addresses to conferences and 1969
speeches,
156. Flags, 1969
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1969
1970 A-B
157. 1970 C-F
158. 1970 G-K
159. 1970 L-O
160. 1970 P-S
161. 1970 S-Z
162. Speeches and addresses, 1970
Decentralisation, 1970
Education, 1970
Flags, 1970
15. Minister for Trade and Industry (Contd.)
Box
163. Letters of introduction, 1970
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1970
Thank you letters, 1970
164. References, 1970
Telephone costs, 1970
1971 A-E
165. 1971 F-N
166. 1971 O-Z
16. Deputy Prime Minister, 1960-71
This series contains papers relating to McEwen's position as Deputy
Prime Minister and Leader of the Country Party wing of the Coalition
Government. There are also papers concerning his responsibilities when, on
several occasions, he was Acting Prime Minister.
Box
167. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1960-64
Opening of Ord River Project, 1963
Premiers' Conference, 1964
168. Premiers' Conference, 1965
Miscellaneous correspondence, 1965-67
Disputes with A.B.C., 1966-70
South East Asia Commonwealth Cable, 1963
Basic Industries Group, 1967
169. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1967-70
Basic Industries Group, 1969
Inside Canberra, 1969-70
Things I hear, 1969
Social services, 1970
170. Cabinet papers, 1970
Statement by E.G. Whitlam on 1970
national service,
Biographical details of McEwen
17. Prime Minister, 1967-68
Following the death of Harold Holt on 19 December 1967, McEwen was
Prime Minister for 23 days. This small series consists of congratulatory
letters and Christmas cards sent to him in that period.
Box
170. Correspondence, 1967-68
18. Overseas Visits, 1958-77
This series contains itineraries, cables, correspondence, notes
for speeches, press statements and maps relating to several overseas
visits by McEwen, including some in his retirement.
Box
171. Malaya, Ceylon, Canada, 1958
United Kingdom and Europe, 1966
New Zealand, 1967
Europe, 1967
Europe and United States, 1970
India, 1972
Iran, Europe, 1973
172. United Kingdom, 1977
19. Honours, 1960-72
This series contains correspondence recommending honours for
individuals and also letters from McEwen congratulating the recipients of
honours and awards. Letters of congratulation to McEwen, for instance on his
knighthood, are in Series 1 or in specific series such as Elections (Series 11)
and Prime Minister (Series 17).
Box
173. 1960-67
174. 1967-70
175. 1970-72
20. Condolences, 1961-74
This series contains letters of condolence written by McEwen to friends
and associates who had suffered bereavements.
Box
176 1961-74
21. Clubs and Societies, 1962-80
This series contains correspondence concerning McEwen's patronage and
membership of and donations to a wide range of clubs, societies and other
organisations. In particular, there are files on the Winston Churchill Memorial
Trust, Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Scout
Education and Training Association, Victorian CMG Group, Lincoln Group and the
Cook Society.
Box
177. 1962-80
178. 1973-80
22. Retirement, 1970-71
This small series contains copies of McEwen's letters of resignation
from Parliament in February 1971 and letters of tribute on his departure from
the Government and Parliament. Papers relating to his activities in retirement
are mostly in Series 1.
Box
179. 1970-71
23. Papers of Lady McEwen, 1980
This series consists of copies of the memorial service for McEwen on 1
December 1980, lists of those who were present, and letters of condolence to
Lady McEwen on the death of her husband.
Box
180. 1980
24. Miscellaneous publications
This series comprises a small group of miscellaneous publications. Most
publications in the collection have been filed in specific series such as
Elections (Series 11).
Box
180. Publications
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