Guide to the Papers of Donald Cameron

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MS 1005

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Cameron, Donald, 1878-1962
Title
Papers of Donald Cameron
Date Range
1906-1962
Collection Number
MS 1005
Extent
1.4 metres ((10 boxes) + 2 folio boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, typescripts of speeches and articles, notes, miscellaneous personal papers, printed material and two commemorative photograph albums, largely concerning various political, economic and philosophical issues in which Cameron was interested. Much of the collection comprises newspaper clippings, including press references to Senator Cameron and material concerning socialism, communism, social credit, inflation, conscription, the gold standard and many political, economic and philosophical issues in which he was interested. The journals, pamphlets and other publications include much international and local socialist literature. There are also typescripts of some of Senator Cameron's speeches and articles, notes on various subjects, some correspondence (mainly for 1930-1931 when he was President of the Trades Hall Council) and miscellaneous personal papers. The photograph albums are presentation copies, one commemorating the Sydney-Maitland Cable completion 1946, and the other the work of the Beaufort Division, Department of Aircraft Production.

The correspondents include Frank Anstey, Frank Brennan, E.G. Bonney, J.B. Chifley, R.W. Hornabrook, Lloyd Ross, Sir Keith Murdoch, Gough Whitlam and J.M. Atkinson.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is available for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Donald Cameron, National Library of Australia, MS 1005, [box and file number]'.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Files 1-28 were donated to the Library by Roy Cameron, the son of Donald Cameron, in 1964. Mr Cameron made further additions in 1983 (File 29 and Folios), 1984 (Boxes 5-9), 1985 (Box 10) and 1991 (Box 10).

See also the records of the Socialist Party of Victoria (MS 564). The minute books were donated to the Library by Donald Cameron in 1958.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged largely in the order in which they were received.

Biographical Note

Donald Cameron was born in Melbourne on 19 January 1878. He was educated at South Melbourne College and then worked as a labourer. In about 1895 he went to the Western Australian goldfields and worked mainly with the Coolgardie miner as a junior machinist and compositor. He served in the South African War in 1901-1902 and was wounded. He returned to Perth and worked as a plumber, wharf labourer and miner. He became Secretary of the Plumbers' Union in 1912. He was an active member of the Australian Labor Federation and was President of the Western Australian Anti-Conscription League in 1916-1917.

In 1919 Cameron moved to Melbourne to take up the position of organizer for the Victorian Socialist Party. He edited The Socialist in 1920-1923 and was Secretary of the Party from 1920 to 1932. He was an active member of the Marine Stewards' Union and was President of the Trades Hall Council in 1930-1931. He was also a key figure in the early years of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

Cameron was President of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party in 1932 and was a regular delegate at federal ALP conferences and executive meetings. In 1937 he was elected as a Senator for Victoria and retained his seat until June 1962, a few weeks before his death. On the formation of the Curtin Government in October 1941 he became Minister for Aircraft Production. In February 1945 he became Postmaster-General and he retained this post until the defeat of the Chifley Government in December 1949. He was Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate from 1946 to 1949.

Cameron married Georgina Werrin in Melbourne on 26 April 1899 and they had three sons. He died in Melbourne on 20 August 1962.

Biographical Reference(s)

Australian dictionary of biography, vol. 7, pp. 532-534.

Item Descriptions

Correspondence and private documents, 1915-1926 (File 1) - Box 1

Correspondence, 1930-1931 (File 2) - Box 1

Correspondence, 1931 (File 3) - Box 1

Correspondence, 1943-1950 (File 4) - Box 1

Technical College Building, 1937 (File 5) - Box 1

Socialist newsletters, 1933-1961 (File 6) - Box 1

[Missing] (File 7) - Box 1

Socialist newspapers (File 8) - Box 2

Socialist newspapers and bulletins (File 9) - Box 2

Socialist newspapers and Lenin's speech, (May 1922) (File 10) - Box 2

Miscellaneous socialist publications (File 11) - Box 2

Newspaper clippings on gold (File 12) - Box 2

Newspaper clippings and address on gold (File 13) - Box 2

Newspaper clippings on finance and gold (File 14) - Box 2

Newspaper clippings on inflation (File 15) - Box 2

Pamphlets and newspaper clippings (File 16) - Box 3

Newspaper clippings - subject files (File 17-18) - Box 3

Two cutting books, 1915, 1922 (File 19) - Box 3

Pamphlets and newspaper clippings (File 20) - Box 3

Publication: International press correspondence (File 21) - Box 3

Notes and speeches (File 22-23) - Box 3

Notes and speeches (File 24-25) - Box 4

Australian Labor Party, 1928-1961 (File 26) - Box 4

Victorian Chamber of Commerce (File 27) - Box 4

Miscellaneous documents, 1937-1954 (File 28) - Box 4

Two letters from Cameron to Frank Anstey, 1936, and minute book of the People's Prisoners' Defence Committee, September - November 1917 (File 29) - Box 4

Photo albums (File [unnumbered]) - Folio [unnumbered]

Broadcasts and addresses (File 30) - Box 5

Correspondence with Lloyd Ross, Gough Whitlam, Sir Keith Murdoch, J.M. Atkinson, Pat Kennelly and others, 1935-1962 (File 31) - Box 5

Newspaper clippings (File 31-35) - Box 5

Bound volume of The Socialist, 1906-1910 (Item [unnumbered]) - Box 6

Two cutting books, 1912-1944 (File [unnumbered]) - Box 7

Printed material (File [unnumbered]) - Box 8

Publications on socialism (File [unnumbered]) - Box 9

Publications on socialism and trade unionism, personal papers, letters (including one to Lloyd Ross), memoirs, obituaries, miscellaneous cuttings and photographs. Some of the material was written to or collected by Roy Cameron. (File [unnumbered]) - Box 10


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