Donald Charles Cameron (politician)

Sir Donald Cameron
KCMG, DSO, VD
Sir Donald Cameron KCMG, DSO, VD
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Brisbane
	In office; 13 December 1919 – 19 December 1931
Preceded by	William Finlayson
Succeeded by	George Lawson
Member of the Australian Parliament; for Lilley
	In office; 15 September 1934 – 21 September 1937
Preceded by	George Mackay
Succeeded by	William Jolly
Personal details
Born	19 November 1879; Brisbane, Queensland
Died	19 November 1960 (aged 81); Brisbane, Queensland
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Nationalist (1919–31); UAP (1931–37)
Relations	John Cameron (father)
Occupation	Military officer
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1901–1919
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands	5th Light Horse Regiment
Battles/wars	Boxer Rebellion; Second Boer War; First World War Gallipoli Campaign; Sinai and Palestine Campaign; Battle of Romani; Battle of Beersheba; ;
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George; Distinguished Service Order; Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration; Mentioned in Despatches (4); Order of the Nile (Egypt)

Sir Donald Charles Cameron, KCMG, DSO, VD (19 November 1879 – 19 November 1960) was an Australian politician and soldier. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives as the Nationalist Party of Australia member for Brisbane from 1919 to 1931 and as the United Australia Party member for Lilley from 1934 to 1937.

Early life

Cameron was born in Brisbane on 19 November 1879.^[1] He was one of five children born to Sarah Annie (née Lodge) and John Cameron. His mother died in 1893 and his father had one further child from his second marriage.^[2]

Cameron's father was a pastoralist of Scottish descent who had been born in British Guiana and arrived in Victoria as a child. He later amassed substantial pastoral holdings in Queensland. Cameron spent his early childhood at Kensington Downs, a family-owned grazing property near Longreach. He attended Toowoomba Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School and subsequently obtained work as a clerk at the Queensland Meat Export and Agency Company, where his father was chairman of the board.^[1]

Military service

Cameron volunteered for the Queensland Imperial Bushmen in the Second Boer War and with American forces in China during the Boxer Rebellion. He managed the family property, Kensington Downs, along with his brothers between 1902 and 1914, when he enlisted in World War I. He was shot through the liver and lung at the Battle of Gallipoli, and finished the First World War as a lieutenant colonel in command of the 5th Light Horse Regiment. He was mentioned in despatches, received the Order of the Nile, and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his war service.^[3]

Politics

In 1919 he won the seat of Brisbane for the Nationalist Party of Australia, holding it until he was defeated by the Australian Labor Party in 1931. In 1934 he won the nearby seat of Lilley. In 1932 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.^[1]^[4]

Cameron resigned from the House of Representatives on 21 September 1937 to contest the Senate at the 1937 federal election. He was unsuccessful and subsequently retired from politics.^[5]

Later life

During World War II, Cameron was chairman of the New South Wales recruiting committee for the Royal Australian Air Force. He died on 19 November 1960 and was cremated; his ashes were buried in the family cemetery on Home Creek Station.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wigsell, S.W. (1979). "Sir Donald Charles Cameron (1879–1960)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
^ Waterson, D. B. (1979). "John Cameron (1847–1914)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7. Melbourne University Press.
^ "COLONEL CAMERON Retiring". The Evening News. No. 2458. Queensland. 25 July 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 6 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "U.A.P. Candidates Win Barton And East Sydney". Barrier Miner. Vol. XLIV, no. 13, 280. New South Wales, Australia. 28 December 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 6 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "Cameron, Sir Donald Charles, KCMG, DSO". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 28 December 2024.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by William Finlayson	Member for Brisbane 1919–1931	Succeeded by George Lawson
Preceded by George Mackay	Member for Lilley 1934–1937	Succeeded by William Jolly

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[adb-1] Wigsell, S.W. (1979). "Sir Donald Charles Cameron (1879–1960)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 6 January 2017.

[2] Waterson, D. B. (1979). "John Cameron (1847–1914)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 7. Melbourne University Press.

[3] "COLONEL CAMERON Retiring". The Evening News. No. 2458. Queensland. 25 July 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 6 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

[4] "U.A.P. Candidates Win Barton And East Sydney". Barrier Miner. Vol. XLIV, no. 13, 280. New South Wales, Australia. 28 December 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 6 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.

[aph-5] "Cameron, Sir Donald Charles, KCMG, DSO". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 28 December 2024.

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