People Australia

James McGirr, Herald and Weekly Times, 1947

State Library of Victoria, 49386159

James (Jim) McGirr (1890-1957) pharmacist, parliamentarian and premier

Birth: 6 February 1890 at Parkes, New South Wales, son of Irish-born parents John Patrick McGirr (1847-1925), a farmer from Moneen, Louisburgh, County Mayo, and Mary Teresa, née O’Sullivan (1847-1931), from Charleville, County Cork. Marriage: 15 October 1932 at Orange, NSW, to native-born Valerie Cecilia Armstrong (1904-2000), a typiste. They had one daughter and two sons. Death: 27 October 1957 at Strathfield. Religion: Catholic. 

• Grew up on dairy farm near Parkes. Educated at Parkes and St Stanislaus’ College, Bathurst.
• Apprenticed with brother J. J. G. McGirr as a pharmacist. Broke apprenticeship to work in stockyards for short period then resumed apprenticeship.
• Attended University of Sydney and was registered as a pharmacist in August 1913. Commissioned justice of the peace in 1915.
• Employed by Washington H. Soul and Co., Sydney. Opened pharmacy in Parkes, specialising in veterinarians’ prescription. Later he was in partnership with his brother at Marrickville and Kings Cross, in Sydney.
• Joined the Australian Labor Party, Parkes branch, in 1906 and was president and secretary. President of Calare federal electorate council and Ashburnham State electoral council. Later was a member of the Bankstown branch.
• He was elected Labor member of the Legislative Assembly for Cootamundra in 1922-1925, for Cumberland 1925-1927, for Bankstown 1927-1950, and for Liverpool 1950 until he resigned in 1952. McGirr was one of the last parliamentarians to withdraw support from J. T. Lang in 1939.
• Jim McGirr was minister for health 1930-1931, minister for local government 1931-1932; minister for transport 1932; minister for local government and housing 1941-1944 and minister for housing 1944-1947.
• He was premier and treasurer from 1947 until he retired from parliament in 1952. He was president of the Maritime Services Board in 1952-1955.
• He retired to Strathfield and bought a 800-acre farm (wheat, sheep and cattle). He had other real estate investments and also ran a 268-acre property at Kemps Creek near Liverpool (horses and cattle). Was a sometime member of the Pharmacy Board.
• Cause of death: coronary occlusion.
• NSW politicians John Joseph Gregory McGirr (1879-1949) and Patrick Michael McGirr (1875-1957) were his brothers. 

Sources
Heather Radi, Peter Spearritt & Elizabeth Hinton (eds), Biographical Register of the NSW Parliament 1901-1970 (Canberra, 1979); Labor Daily Yearbook 1933, p 173, Australian Labor Year Book 1934-35, p 233.