Jim McGirr facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable James McGirr JP
28th Premier of New South Wales Elections: 1947, 1950
In office 6 February 1947 – 2 April 1952
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Governor	Sir John Northcott
Deputy	Jack Baddeley Joseph Cahill
Preceded by	William McKell
Succeeded by	Joseph Cahill
Personal details
Born	6 February 1890 Parkes, Colony of New South Wales
Died	27 October 1957 (age 67) Homebush, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouse	Valerie Armstrong ​ (m. 1932)​
Relations	Patrick McGirr (brother) Greg McGirr (brother) Trixie Gardner (niece)

James McGirr (born 6 February 1890 – died 27 October 1957) was an important Australian politician. He served as the leader of the New South Wales government, known as the Premier, from 1947 to 1952. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in New South Wales.

James McGirr led his party to win two state elections, in 1947 and 1950. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a pharmacist. His older brothers, Patrick and Greg McGirr, were also members of parliament. Greg even led the Labor Party for a short time, but he never became Premier.

Early Life and Education

James McGirr was born on 6 February 1890 in Parkes, a town in New South Wales. He was the seventh son in his family. His father, John Patrick McGirr, was a farmer who had moved to Australia from Ireland. His mother was Mary O'Sullivan.

James grew up on a dairy farm near Parkes. He mostly went to school at St Stanislaus College in Bathurst. After school, he started training to be a pharmacist with his brother Greg in Parkes.

For a while, James left his training to work with farm animals in stockyards. However, he had a serious accident when he was thrown from a horse, so he had to stop that work. He then went back to his pharmacy training and studied at the University of Sydney. He officially became a pharmacist in 1913.

After qualifying, he worked at a pharmacy in Pitt Street, Sydney. Later, he opened his own pharmacy in Parkes, which specialized in medicines for animals. He also ran pharmacies in Sydney suburbs like Marrickville and Kings Cross with his brother.

Starting a Political Career

James McGirr followed his brothers, Greg and Patrick, into politics with the Labor Party. He joined the local Labor Party group in Parkes in 1906.

In 1922, his brother Greg left his seat in the Legislative Assembly (the state parliament) for the area called Cootamundra. Greg then successfully ran for a seat in Sydney. James was chosen by the party to run for the Cootamundra seat, and he won!

In 1925, because of some local party disagreements, James had to find a new area to represent. He successfully ran for the Cumberland area in western Sydney. In 1927, the way elections were run changed, and the Cumberland area was removed. So, he ran for the Bankstown area, which he represented until 1950. From 1950 to 1952, he was the member for another western Sydney area called Liverpool.

Becoming a Minister

When Jack Lang became the Premier of New South Wales, James McGirr joined the government as a minister. From November 1930 to June 1931, he was the Minister for Health. He then became the Minister for Local Government from June 1931 to May 1932. In March 1932, he also became the Minister for Transport.

However, on 13 May 1932, the Governor, Sir Philip Game, removed Premier Lang from his position. Bertram Stevens then became the new Premier. The United Australia Party won the next election.

In October 1932, James McGirr married Valerie Cecilia Armstrong.

Working for Housing

In 1941, the Labor Party, led by William McKell, won the election and formed a new government. James McGirr became the Minister for Local Government and Housing. He was the only person from his former political group to be given a spot in the Cabinet (the group of top ministers).

He worked on setting up the Housing Commission of New South Wales. This became a very important government group that helped deal with the shortage of homes after World War II and the Great Depression. Because of his work, he was given full responsibility for housing in 1944.

Leading New South Wales

In 1947, the Prime Minister of Australia, Ben Chifley, chose Premier McKell to become the Governor-General of Australia. This meant there was a competition to see who would be the next Premier of New South Wales.

Two main people were competing: Bob Heffron and James McGirr. James McGirr won by only two votes! He became Premier on his 57th birthday.

People thought James McGirr was a good, kind, and honest person. However, as Premier, he was known for sometimes delaying decisions. Even after the Labor Party won the 1947 state election, he found it hard to get more of his supporters into the Cabinet.

James McGirr had promised a big plan to build new public works during the 1947 election campaign. But after the war, there were not enough materials, and there were also many strikes. This made it hard to complete his plans.

He also once threatened to resign because the party organization had removed four members of parliament from the party. This happened because those members did not vote the way the party wanted them to in a vote for the Upper House (another part of parliament). However, he later changed his mind and did not resign, which made him seem a bit weak.

The 1950 election saw a big drop in support for the Labor Party. The government ended up needing the votes of two of those members who had been removed from the party but had won their seats as independent politicians. This meant McGirr had to work with these independent politicians, as well as a Cabinet full of people who sometimes disagreed with him.

On 2 April 1952, James McGirr resigned from being Premier. Joseph Cahill took over as the new Premier. After leaving politics, James McGirr took on a new job as the Chairman of the Maritime Services Board, which looks after ports and shipping.

James McGirr passed away on 27 October 1957, at the age of 67, in Homebush, Sydney. He was survived by his wife Valerie Cecilia, his daughter Margaret, and his two sons, Patrick and James. His niece, Trixie Gardner, later became a politician in the United Kingdom. She was the only Australian woman to be made a life peeress, which means she was given a special title and a seat in the UK parliament for life.