Spouse Jean McCaughey (m. 1941) | Name Davis McCaughey | |
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Full Name John Davis McCaughey Born 12 July 1914Belfast, Ireland ( 1914-07-12 ) Religion Christian (Uniting Church) Books Repining Restlessnesse: Diversity and Dissent Similar People Joan Kirner, Philip Potter, Angus Trumble | ||
John Davis McCaughey AC (12 July 1914 – 25 March 2005) was a Bible scholar, Christian minister, university administrator and the Governor of Victoria from 1986 to 1992.
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Working life
McCaughey was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1941 and during the next decade he also worked for the British Council of Churches.
In 1953 the McCaughey family emigrated to Australia for him to become the Professor of New Testament Studies for the Theological Hall at Ormond College, University of Melbourne.
He was Master of Ormond between 1957 and 1979. He served as Deputy Chancellor of the University of Melbourne in 1978 and 1979. He was also involved in the foundation of La Trobe University in the mid-1960s.
Uniting Church in Australia
McCaughey was a key architect in the formation of the Uniting Church in Australia, which brought together many congregations of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Congregational Union of Australia. He was the primary author behind the Basis of Union, the foundational theological document which led to the formation of the new denomination, and the president of the first Assembly of the Uniting Church from 1977 to 1979.
Governor of Victoria
At age 71, in 1986, he was appointed as Governor of the state of Victoria by the Premier, John Cain, and served until 1992. He also served during the premiership of Joan Kirner.
His approach to this largely symbolic vice-regal role differed from his predecessor, Sir Brian Murray. Notably, he opened Government House to the public, exchanged the Rolls Royce car for an Australian made vehicle, flew business class instead of first class and dispensed with military aides de camp.
Cain said of McCaughey, "He was unassuming, down-to-earth, unfailingly courteous to everybody and unaffected by the trappings of the office." Kirner commented, "He was one of the few people who could bring common good and a broad sense of morality to life."
Family
McCaughey was married to his wife, Jean, for 64 years, having married in 1941, the year of his ordination as a minister. Their five children include former National Gallery of Victoria director Patrick McCaughey, and theatre director and classical scholar James ('Jim') McCaughey.