Jim McClelland

Jim McClelland
The Honourable; Jim McClelland
Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
	In office; 14 April 1980 – 2 June 1985
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Jerrold Cripps
Minister for Labor and Immigration
	In office; 6 June 1975 – 11 November 1975
Prime Minister	Gough Whitlam
Preceded by	Clyde Cameron
Succeeded by	Tony Street
Minister for Manufacturing Industry
	In office; 10 February 1975 – 6 June 1975
Prime Minister	Gough Whitlam
Preceded by	Kep Enderby
Succeeded by	Lionel Bowen
Senator for New South Wales
	In office; 16 March 1971 – 21 July 1978
Preceded by	James Ormonde
Succeeded by	Kerry Sibraa
Personal details
Born	3 June 1915; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	16 January 1999 (aged 83); Wentworth Falls, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse(s)	1) Nora Fitzer ; 2) Freda Watson ; 3) Gillian Appleton
Alma mater	University of Melbourne ; University of Sydney
Occupation	Solicitor, unionist

James Robert McClelland[lower-alpha 1] (3 June 1915 – 16 January 1999) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served as a Senator for New South Wales from 1971 to 1978. He briefly held ministerial office in the Whitlam Government in 1975 as Minister for Manufacturing Industry and Minister for Labor and Immigration. He later served as the inaugural Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales from 1980 to 1985, as well as presiding over the 1984 McClelland Royal Commission into British nuclear tests in Australia.

Early life

Born in Melbourne, McClelland was educated at St Patrick's College, Ballarat and Melbourne University (B.A.) and Sydney University (Law). He served in the Royal Australian Air Force between 1943 and 1946. After that he worked as a solicitor in Sydney.

The legal practice of McClelland dealt mainly with union workers compensation claims for the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia, where he was associated with Laurie Short. He played a large part (with Bob Santamaria) in helping Short take control of the Union from the openly pro-communist Ernie Thornton. By this time, nevertheless, he had turned against his former Catholic upbringing, and unlike many other Santamaria allies he never joined the DLP.

Senate

McClelland was elected to represent New South Wales for the ALP in the 1970 Senate election, his term to begin on 1 July 1971. In March 1971 he was appointed to a casual vacancy for the remainder of the term of the late senator James Ormonde. He was again elected in the double dissolution election of May 1974. In the Third Whitlam Ministry he was Minister for Manufacturing Industry from 10 February to 6 June 1975. From 6 June to 11 November 1975 he was Minister for Labor and Immigration and Minister assisting the Prime Minister in matters relating to the Public Service. He was again elected at the December 1975 double dissolution election. He resigned from the Senate on 21 July 1978.

Later life

In 1980 McClelland was appointed the first chief judge of the Land and Environment Court of NSW, holding that office until his 70th birthday in June 1985.

In 1984, as Justice McClelland, he was President of the Royal Commission into British nuclear tests in Australia at Maralinga.

He was reviled by the right as is indicated in Roderick Meagher's portrait in Quadrant, and associated with Edmund Campion, Patrick White, Manning Clark and Donald Horne.

Family

McClelland married three times:

in 1947 to Nora Fitzer with whom he adopted two children but divorced in 1968
in 1968 to Freda Watson who brought three step children. She died in 1976
in 1978 to Gillian Appleton.

Notes

Although he was nicknamed "Diamond Jim" by the Australian media, at McClelland's funeral, Gough Whitlam indicated that McClelland disliked this Americanism.

References

Bibliography

Portraits: Jim McClelland, Quadrant, June 2005 – 49:6 [Accessed 4 March 2006]
James McClelland, (1988), Stirring the Possum: A Political Autobiography, Penguin, Sydney ISBN 0-14-009764-3
James McClelland, (1989), An Angel Bit The Bride Penguin ISBN 0-14-012831-X
Gillian Appleton, (2000), Diamond Cuts: An Affectionate Memoir of Jim McClelland Macmillan ISBN 0-7329-1051-X

External links

From the State Memorial Service for Jim McClelland at The Whitlam Institute website

Political offices
Preceded by Kep Enderby	Minister for Manufacturing Industry 1975	Succeeded by Lionel Bowen
Preceded by Clyde Cameron	Minister for Labour and Immigration 1975	Succeeded by Tony Street

Legal offices
New title	Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court (NSW) 1980–1985	Succeeded by Jerrold Cripps

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[1] Although he was nicknamed "Diamond Jim" by the Australian media, at McClelland's funeral, Gough Whitlam indicated that McClelland disliked this Americanism.