Edward Macartney

Early years

Macartney was born in Holywood, County Down, Ireland, to parents William Isaac Macartney, who was a former commissioner of police in Ceylon, and his Scottish wife, Henrietta (née Dare). Educated at Holywood, Enniskillen, Gracehill and Dublin, he worked for four years in Ireland before, along with his brother, the ship's surgeon, arriving in Brisbane aboard the SS Bulimba on 20 March 1883. On his arrival, Macartney is said to have spent a short time as a jackaroo before beginning work with the National Australia Bank, working at Maryborough, Ipswich, Normanton and Townsville until 1885.

After 1885, Macartney took up work as an articled clerk for solicitors Thynne & Goertz, being admitted as a solicitor in 1891. When Thynne & Goertz was dissolved in 1893, he became Thynne's business partner and together developed a strong practice, specializing in commercial matters.

Political career

Macartney's first experience in politics was as a wardsman in the Shire of Ithaca from 1899 until 1903 including being its president in 1900. In that same year, as the Ministerialist candidate, he stood for the state seat of Toowong in a by-election to replace the retiring Thomas Finney. He defeated the Labour candidate, Arthur Lilley, son of the former Queensland Premier, Sir Charles Lilley, by 960 votes to 766. In 1908, Macartney, by now a member of the Opposition, was defeated by Richard Cottell at that year's snap election.

The next year, another state election was held, and Macartney, a Kidstonian candidate, won the two member seat of Brisbane North. In 1911, the member for Toowong, Richard Cottell, suddenly died. Macartney resigned as the member for Brisbane North to stand at the upcoming by-election and defeated the Labour candidate, John Gilday, by 2781 votes to 2163 and held the seat for a further nine years until his retirement from politics in 1920.

Macartney was Secretary for Public Lands from 7 February 1911 until 11 December 1912 and was briefly leader of the opposition in 1915 and 1918-1920. Although a speaker of average ability and overly sensitive to criticism, he chaired several committees and was seen as being politically powerful from 1902 onwards. He argued for one vote one value, took a keen interest in electoral redistributions and in 1905 he was successful in introducing legislation against juvenile smoking.

From 1915 until his retirement from parliament, Macartney was at loggerheads with the then Labour Government who saw him as representative of monopolies and the money power. Premier T. J. Ryan and Macartney had a total dislike of each other with Macartney accusing Ryan of profiting from legal cases while he was attorney-general. Such was Labor's disdain for him that in 1916, the Government introduced a constitutional bill designed to disqualify solicitors who acted 'for monopoly companies or alien companies' from being members of parliament which became popularly known as the "Thynne and Macartney disabling bill".

Later years

After Macartney resigned from Parliament in 1920 due to health issues, he returned to his legal practice. He also became chairman of directors of Swift Australian Co. Pty Ltd and the local board of the National Bank of Australasia Ltd. He was also a director of Finney Isles & Co. Ltd, Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd and British Traders' Insurance Co. Ltd. He was appointed Agent-General for Queensland in London by the Moore Government in 1929, holding the position for two years.

Personal life

Macartney married Caroline Tottenham Lucas Cardew, the daughter of a police magistrate, in July 1888 and together had two sons. A keen golfer, he was president of the Brisbane Golf Club and a committee-member of the Queensland Club for six years.

Knighted in 1930, Macartney died in Brisbane in February 1956 and was cremated. His wife and sons had predeceased him.