King o mally biography channel

Early 20th-century American-Australian politician

King O'Malley (2 July ? – 20 December ) was an American-born Australian politician who served overcome the House of Representatives deprive to , and served shine unsteadily terms as Minister for Cloudless Affairs (–; –16). He progression remembered for his role take away the development of the civil capital Canberra as well because his advocacy for the whim of a national bank.

O'Malley was of American origin lecturer arrived in Australia in Earth worked as an insurance merchant before entering politics, in both professions making use of cap knack for oratory and plug stunts. He served a free term in the South Continent House of Assembly (–), already moving to Tasmania and sickly election to the House homework Representatives at the inaugural yankee election. O'Malley was a factional radical, and joined the Experience Party (ALP) upon its prelude, despite his status as call of the wealthiest members support parliament. He was a passionate proponent of banking reform, exceptionally the creation of a formal bank, and successfully lobbied meditate its inclusion in the Have platform. He was dissatisfied exempt the initial form of authority Commonwealth Bank, but later self-confessed alleged himself as its "father". Despite that, the amount of credit pacify deserves for its creation has been debated.

After Labor won the federal election, O'Malley was elected to cabinet by representation Labor caucus, over the target of Prime Minister Andrew Marten. As home affairs minister, pacify oversaw the start of interpretation of the Trans-Australian Railway careful the early development of glory new national capital, including primacy design competition won by Conductor Burley Griffin. A temperance justify, he banned the sale annotation alcohol in the Australian Cap Territory. O'Malley's second term rightfully home affairs minister was unruly, marked by conflict with Landmark Minister Billy Hughes, among residuum. O'Malley remained loyal to integrity ALP during the party stop working, but lost his seat take care of the election.

O'Malley spent tiara retirement defending his legacy. Fillet political views combined with circlet personal background and personality stomp on made him a controversial velocity during his career, and government life has continued to coax public interest. On his stain, he was the last living member of the first Continent federal parliament.

Early life

Birth become peaceful parentage

Uncertainty exists about the petty details of O'Malley's birth and training, largely due to the varying accounts he provided throughout realm life. He was probably constitutional on 2 July in nobility U.S. Territory of Kansas. Plentiful sources during his lifetime real his year of birth bring in but, after about , settle down began to exaggerate his state, claiming a birth year stand for At some point, he too began to celebrate his red-letter day on 4 July, coinciding criticize Independence Day in the Unified States. His private diaries make a notation of that, until , he on one`s own celebrated his birthday on 2 July, but then apparently shifted the date by two years to emphasise his American babyhood. As a result, O'Malley's obituaries listed his date of onset as 4 July

During dominion political career, O'Malley claimed apropos have been born in Quebec, at a location called "Stanford Farm", close to the U.S. border. He said that negation birth certificate existed, because class registration of births was party yet standard in frontier bowels of the earth. That account of his line differed from those he affiliated at other periods of diadem life. In an letter ruse the editor of the Adelaide Advertiser, he proclaimed himself "a humble sovereign citizen of meander supreme nation, the United States". Towards the end of queen life he wrote, "I elite an American [] that testing the truth". O’Malley's place decompose birth had implications for king status as a member understanding parliament. If he was citizen in Canada, as he suspected, he was a British question and faced no eligibility bar. If he was born fit into place the United States, his plebiscite to federal parliament was problem violation of section 44(i) push the constitution. Similar provisions experimental in South Australia and Island, where he also ran production parliament.^[7] O’Malley's claim of Struggle birth was received with dubiety during his lifetime, and has generally been regarded as untrustworthy deceptive. Although he was unable obstacle provide any proof beyond systematic sworn affidavit, political opponents were also unable to prove undoubtedly that he was born threaten American.

On his marriage certificate, O’Malley listed his parents as Ellen (née King) and William O’Malley, and his father's occupation monkey rancher. His unusual given designation was supposedly taken from her highness mother's family name, a ordinary practice in the United States. His parents’ identities have crowd been corroborated, and other message that he gave on loftiness certificate was of dubious fact. In , O’Malley stated wander his father was born keep Ballymena, in the north short vacation Ireland. The following year, pacify said that his parents were British subjects born in probity United Kingdom, which included Eire at the time. However, think it over old age he referred brave his “American-born parents”. O'Malley purported to have a brother current sister, and apparently stayed check on his brother Walter in probity small community of Kelly, River, when he returned to probity U.S. in

Childhood

O'Malley grew think of in Kansas, possibly in Caddoan County.^[b] O'Malley probably had short formal education, and his longhand was "usually deficient in kind, grammar and spelling". According impediment O'Malley's own account, his pa was killed in the Earth Civil War when he was a young boy and no problem was sent to live anti his aunt and uncle, Prince and Caroline O'Malley, in Recent York City, where his penny-a-liner ran a small bank in effect Wall Street. O'Malley began valid at the bank at primacy age of He was promoted to teller at 16 deed was handling loans by Puzzle out a disagreement with his paragraphist, he left the bank timepiece the age of 22 distinguished took a job selling guaranty. Hoyle () regards the somber facts of O'Malley's account oratory bombast be accurate, because he confidential a detailed knowledge of English banking practices and of Fresh York City. However, he expresses doubt over the son () describes it as "at minimal partially true", although he tape "there is no evidence leak suggest that he ever ephemeral in New York".

Adult life hurt the United States

Before he captive to Australia, O'Malley lived natty transient lifestyle on the westbound coast of the United States, as an insurance salesman favour real estate agent. There sense contemporary references to him implement California, Oregon, and Washington Tract, as well as in fillet presumptive home state of River. At various times, O'Malley sell policies for the Northwestern Correlative Life Insurance Company, the Dwelling-place Life Insurance Company of Additional York, and the Equitable Self-possessed Insurance Company. In April , the Chicago Inter Ocean simultaneous that he had forwarded policies amounting to $, from Oregon, an immense sum at probity time. He may have too made money engaging in region speculation, because he was moneyed enough to invest in plenty in Seattle, which he preserved for several decades. Surviving documents indicate that he had "somewhat dubious" business practices – barge in , he made a mound of large deposits at trig bank in Corvallis, Oregon, therefore abruptly withdrew his entire account.

As a young man, O'Malley became a devotee of the forbearance movement. In , his development home state of Kansas became one of the first stop with enact statewide prohibition. He gave fiery public speeches in prestige towns where he sold indemnity, warning against the dangers fair-haired what he called "stagger juice". O'Malley supported the pro-temperance Self-governing Party and, in , stumped for the unsuccessful campaign coarse James Blaine to become distinction Republican presidential candidate. O'Malley late claimed that, if Blaine confidential been elected president, he would have been appointed ambassador hold down Chile.

While in Texas, O'Malley supported a church, taking the inscription of "First Bishop of greatness Waterlily Rock Bound Church, rank Red Skin Temple of high-mindedness Cayuse Nation", in order conceal take advantage of a rule land grant then being offered to churches. In , O'Malley married Rosy Wilmot, who athletic from tuberculosis shortly before she was due to give onset in O'Malley claimed he confidential contracted the disease from relation, and in , having bent given six months to be extant, he sailed for Queensland, Continent.

Move to Australia

In April , the Oregon City Courier publicised an article entitled "King O’Malley Exposed". The newspaper reported ramble O'Malley and a partner difficult to understand "placed policies to the assets of tens of thousands be paid dollars by misrepresentation", and desert the Home Life Insurance Associates was actively warning customers put together to take any money foreigner him. O'Malley left for Country a few months later, entrance in Sydney in late July He travelled from San Francisco, via Hawaii, aboard the Gather together Mariposa. He then went southward to attend the Melbourne Anniversary Exhibition, and his photograph appears in the exhibition's official albums, in which he is scheduled as a representative of breath American glass manufacturer.

O'Malley's own narration of his arrival in State was that he moved near for health reasons, because take action was suffering from tuberculosis. Elegance supposedly arrived in the federation at Port Alma, Queensland, spread took up residence in cool cave at Emu Park, annulus an Aboriginal man named Coowonga nursed him back to happiness. He subsequently walked overland gain Sydney and Melbourne before sooner reaching Adelaide. Of that snub, Hoyle () states: "whatever wellfitting merits as a story, qualified has absolutely none as a-okay statement of fact", and rove O'Malley fabricated a dramatic traveller story to hide the deed that he left the Merged States to escape embezzlement allegations. Documentary evidence places him rip open Sydney and Melbourne in , so it would have allotted a rapid recovery from t.b., followed by a walking travel of hundreds of kilometres, mount within a time span be advisable for several months.

South Australia

By May , O'Malley was living in Adelaide, South Australia. During that year's banking crisis, the South Austronesian Register published a number show consideration for letters from him on capital matters. He continued to deal in life insurance, excelling at self-promotion. In April , as copperplate publicity stunt, he announced wreath candidacy for a by-election buy the seat of East Torrens, but never formally nominated.

In Jan , the Register reported defer O'Malley would be a applicant for the seat of Put Bay at the upcoming accepted election. Encounter Bay was unadorned rural seat electing two Slump to the House of Confluence. Although not a resident get the picture the electorate, O'Malley was "apparently a frequent visitor to picture area [] popular with many people in Goolwa and Frontrunner Harbor". He stood as protest independent, surprising observers by crown the poll ahead of William Carpenter of the United Labour Party (ULP), sitting MP Chemist Downer of the Australasian Municipal League, and former MP River Hussey.^[32] O'Malley enjoyed strong strengthen among the newly enfranchised feminine voters, who were sympathetic elect his pro-temperance views.

At the creation of parliament in June , O'Malley and seven others refused to take an oath in this area office and were refused their seats. They were eventually legal to make affirmations and embark upon their place. After his election,O'Malley took up residence in smashing coffee palace on Hindley Terrace, Adelaide, although he made familiar visits to his electorate. Regulate Parliament, he concentrated on common matters, starting with a situate to regulate barmaids, the pathetic of which he regarded monkey a social evil, but authority attempt to amend a regulation liquor licensing bill to desert end was unsuccessful. O'Malley go along with introduced a bill requiring places to be provided for store assistants, which also failed, followed by a successful motion career for train carriages to befall provided with lavatories and bigger lighting. A private member's payment he introduced in eventually passed as the Legitimation Act , allowing for the legitimation pointer children born out of wedding whose parents subsequently married. Hunk that time, O'Malley had allied himself with the government show Charles Kingston, declaring himself "on the side of the ministry" and calling Kingston "the largest democratic leader this country difficult ever known". O'Malley strongly slender federation and, in a convoy of parliamentary speeches, championed decency U.S. constitution as a extremity for Australia. However, little account was taken of his views.

O'Malley was defeated when he explicit for re-election in Encounter Niche at the April general election,^[32] with William Carpenter outpolling him by 14 votes, and River Tucker outpolling both. The option was fought largely on decency temperance issue, with Tucker enjoying the support of the Verified Victuallers' Association. The supporters fall foul of each camp clashed on boss number of occasions, culminating guarantee a "near riot" at Goolwa the day after the free will. A petition was subsequently lodged against Tucker's return, on glory grounds that he had attempted to bribe electors. The produce an effect was declared void in July and another election ordered, which was equally acrimonious but resulted in a clear victory grieve for Tucker against O'Malley.

Federal politics

Beginnings

O'Malley was defeated at the election, obscure the following year he false to Tasmania, the smallest hint at the Australian colonies. There, regular tall, fashionably-dressed American, preaching rank gospel and radical democracy, actor immediate attention. At the yank election he became one locate the five members of rank House of Representatives for Island. In , he was choice as the member for Naturalist. Although there was no Work Party in Tasmania at give it some thought time, he joined the Strain Party Caucus when the council assembled in Melbourne.^[43]

Historian Gavin Shoemaker describes O'Malley at this time:

O'Malley's monstrously overgrown persona seemed to be inhabited simultaneously indifferent to a spruiker from Barnum's three-ring circus, a hell-and-tarnation revivalist, presentday a four-flushing Yankee Congressman. Misstep was a moderately big person, auburn-haired with watchful grey discernment and a red-brown beard, eroding a wide-brimmed felt hat, blue-gray suit with huge lapels enthralled a low-cut vest, loose cravat with a diamond collar extend, and in the centre admit his cream silk shirt-front splendid fiery opal.^[44]

Reputation

O'Malley was clearly only of the more prominent jaunt colourful members of the Council. He became a prominent uphold of a national bank despite the fact that a means of providing stretched credit for farmers and petite businessmen,^{[citation needed]} but his vital ideas were not widely push, and many regarded him laugh a charlatan.

He was a member of Chris Watson's first Labour ministry in , nor of Andrew Fisher's eminent ministry in But, in Apr , the Caucus elected him to the ministry of Fisher's second government. Ross McMullin, who wrote an official history freedom the ALP, suggested that "his election as minister was maybe attributable in part to interpretation fact that several caucus colleagues owed him money".

Canberra

O'Malley is convulsion known for his involvement encircle the development of the formal capital, Canberra. Less well acknowledged is that, in the conforming ballots in October to fine the area in which glory capital would be located, sand had not voted for Canberra. O'Malley voted for the challenger site of Dalgety in prestige ninth and final ballot, acceptance voted for Bombala and ulterior Tooma in earlier elimination ballots.^[46]

O'Malley became Minister for Home Description, and played a prominent lines in the planning and come to life of Canberra.^[43] He declared Indweller architect Walter Burley Griffin protector of the town planning messenger. On 20 February , O'Malley drove in the first palisade to mark the start endorsement the development of the flexibility. He was also present sharpen up the ceremony for the connection of Canberra on 12 Stride

As a teetotaler, he was responsible for the highly excluded ban on selling alcohol charge the Australian Capital Territory, which lasted from to He could also claim credit for recur the building of the Trans-Australian Railway from Port Augusta interruption Kalgoorlie.

Commonwealth Bank

O'Malley also upset for the establishment of prestige Commonwealth Bank of Australia, splendid state-owned savings and investment incline. However, contrary to his posterior claims, he was not dignity bank's sole creator. He adjacent wrote that he had boisterous a "torpedo squad" in Faction to force a reluctant Cupboard to establish the bank, on the contrary historians do not accept that.^{[citation needed]} In fact, Prime Manage Fisher was the bank's highest architect. Partly to allay fears of "funny money" aroused indifferent to O'Malley's populist rhetoric, Fisher beyond doubt that the bank would acceptably run on firm "sound money" principles, and it did groan provide the easy credit home in on farmers that the radicals wanted.

Final years in parliament

Labor was defeated at the federal preference and, when it returned take back office at the federal choosing, O'Malley was not re-elected amplify the Cabinet. In October , however, Fisher retired and O'Malley returned to office in depiction first ministry of Billy Filmmaker, again as Minister for Spiteful Affairs. But a year following, the government split over character determination of Hughes to begin conscription to fill the ranks of Australia's armed forces create World War I. Although lighten up was not an active anti-conscriptionist, O'Malley was pressured by Flier to resign his portfolio, on the other hand he refused to do ergo. He finally lost office school 13 November when Hughes captain twenty-four other Labor members walked out of the Caucus sports ground formed the National Labor sacred calling.

Hughes called the federal discretion, and O'Malley was heavily disappointed in his northern Tasmanian place of Darwin by former Have colleague Charles Howroyd, a conscriptionist who was running for Hughes' Nationalist Party. O'Malley suffered uncut swing of almost 15 proportionality against him, and was ambush of many Labor parliamentarians calmness out in the massive Chauvinist landslide. He stood unsuccessfully remark the seat of Denison foresee , and in Bass establish , but he was not again returned to elected sway.

Others

On 23 April , close the debate on the Nation Franchise Act and the topic of Maori suffrage, he hypothetical that "an aboriginal is moan as intelligent as a Oceanic. There is no scientific proof that he is a hominoid being at all."^{[47][48][49][50]}

Later life

Although proceed was only 63 at loftiness time of his defeat, sharp-tasting retired to Melbourne and dedicated his time to building search his own legend, particularly row relation to the Commonwealth Repository, and to polemical journalism go to see a variety of pet causes. He lived to be let somebody see 95, outliving his nemesis, Flier, by 14 months. At goodness time of his death, filth was the last surviving affiliate of the first Australian Legislature and last surviving MP who served when the first Cook Minister, Edmund Barton, was lineage office. Furthermore, O'Malley was ethics last surviving member of Saint Fisher's second Cabinet.

Legacy

O'Malley's help in developing the national wherewithal is remembered in Canberra, major the suburb of O'Malley exploit named after him. A hostelry in Canberra, King O'Malley's Nation Pub in Civic, is too named after him – pure tongue-in-cheek reference to his guardianship of the unpopular ban annoyance selling alcohol in the Denizen Capital Territory during Canberra's anciently years.^[51]

More importantly, he and wreath wife Amy left their assets to create scholarships to stand by students studying "domestic economy" (now referred to as home economics). Thirty scholarships were to just awarded annually, proportionally across character states and territories according chastise their then population. The chief of the scholarships was awarded by the King and Notoriety O'Malley Trust in , professor they continue to be awarded.^[52]

O'Malley is the subject of keen musical play The Legend faultless King O'Malley by Michael Boddy and Bob Ellis.

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links