Fred McCarthy (archaeologist)

Frederick David "Fred" McCarthy (13 August 1905 – 18 November 1997) was an Australian anthropologist and archaeologist. He worked at the Australian Museum in Sydney and was Foundation Principal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.

McCarthy was born on 13 August 1905, an identical twin, at Crystal Street, Petersham, New South Wales. In 1920, at the age of 14, he started work at the Australian Museum as a library clerk; his neighbour, Lucas, worked at the Museum as a carpenter and told him about the position. In 1930, he moved to a position in the Department of Birds and Reptile, and in 1933 he commenced studies at Sydney University in Anthropology under Professor A.P. Elkin, completing his thesis titled ‘The Material Culture of Eastern Australia, a study of factors entering into its composition’ in 1935.

McCarthy married a co-worker, Elsie Bramell in 1940. She was forced to resign her position at the Australian Museum as part of a government policy not to employ married women, resulting in the anthropology department being reduced to one person, her position not being replaced until 1961. She continued to assist in McCarthy's fieldwork. Fred and Elsie were the first professionally trained anthropologists and archaeologists in any museum in Australia. In 1941 McCarthy was promoted to First Class Scientific Assistant and then appointed as curator of the anthropological collections.

McCarty's diaries of his visit to Indonesia in 1937-8 and the 3rd Congress of Prehistorians of the Far East, in Singapore are held by the AIATSIS Library. His publication, The stone implements of Australia, which he co-authored with Bramell and Noone, was a standard text for aboriginal stone tools for many decades. In 1957 he published one of the first thorough treaties on Australian aborigines, Australia's Aborigines, their life and culture.