Photographs and clippings from Donald McLennan Grant papers, not before 1850-24 February 1958

PXE 1117

fonds

not before 1850-24 February 1958

Graphic Materials, Textual Records, Clippings, Photographs, Ephemera

913223

1 album (52 photographic prints) - 24 x 32 cm. - silver gelatin
1 album (6 clippings) - 31 x 20.5 cm. - newspapers
2 clippings - newspapers, periodicals
43 photographic prints - 29 x 38 cm. or smaller
1 ephemera - 8.5 x 14 cm. - postcard

Donald McLennan Grant (1888-1970), agitator and politician, was born on 26 February 1888 at Inverness, Scotland, son of Donald Grant, insurance agent, and his wife Mary, née McLennan. Educated at the High School, Inverness, he was apprenticed to a dental mechanic but, unhappy with his prospects, he migrated to Australia, reaching Sydney in 1910; he found work in a paper mill

Opposed to the growing Imperialist militarism, Grant joined the Australian Freedom League in 1912 and became its joint treasurer with Patrick Minahan. He also became associated with the Industrial Workers of the World and, after the outbreak of World War I, emerged as a prominent anti-war speaker; in 1916 he was dismissed from his job for his activities

Grant became associated with the 'Trades Hall Reds' of the Labor Council of New South Wales and broke with the 'anti-political' I.W.W. in 1923 over the issue of joining the Labor Party. In 1922 he lost in the State seat of Sturt for the Industrial Socialist Labor Party, and in 1925, running for Labor, failed in the Senate elections. He was gaoled over unauthorized street demonstrations against the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti in 1927. Elected to the Sydney Municipal Council in 1931, he represented Phillip Ward until 1944. In 1930-33 he was also a member of the socialization committee of the State Labor Party. Appointed to the Legislative Council in November 1931, he was elected to the reconstituted council in April 1934; in 1940 he refused to seek re-election, declaring the council to be 'the bulwark of vested interests, and even worse than the House of Lords'

During the early years of World War II Grant worked as a dental mechanic. On 3 November 1943 at his home at New South Head Road, Double Bay, he married a librarian Elizabeth Jane Dowse with Presbyterian forms. Earlier that year he had been elected to the Senate, and became an adviser to the minister for external affairs Dr Bert Evatt. In 1946 he was an Australian representative to the Paris Peace Conference and a delegate to the International Labour Organization conference at Montreal, Canada. While overseas he was entertained by the provost and Town Council of Inverness. He also attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference at Nairobi in 1954. Grant lost Senate pre-selection in 1956 after attacking his old friend Evatt: 'If Machiavelli were alive today he wouldn't qualify to hand out leaflets at an Evatt meeting'. His parliamentary speeches had been generally well informed and carefully reasoned, and as the capitalist system evolved after World War II, he moved towards a left-Keynesian reformist approach as an alternative to communism

Reference:
Australian Dictionary of Biography. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/grant-donald-mclennan-6453 (accessed 9 April, 2012)

Scrap album
Includes 6 newspaper clippings:
Clipping from 'The Sun', 22 September 1943, 'New faces that will be seen in Parliament', includes Donald McLennan Grant. Clipping dated, 10 July, 1944, 'New men in Senate; Labor Gains Control; First Majority in Both Houses', Undated clipping, 'New era in Fed. Parliament after P.M.'s tour', by Don Whitington, clipping dated, 11 July, 1944?, 'Civil Service Defended', clipping dated, 12 August 1944, 'Arguments for 'No' only smokescreen' clipping dated, 30 August 1944, 'Defeat in Caucus'

Photograph album
52 photographs, mostly portraits and family portraits including many of Mr and Mrs Donald McLennan Grant. Also includes portraits of 'Bruce' in Scottish highlander attire with bagpipes, house at 180 Loop Street, Donald McLennan Grant with Peggy H-? outside the entrance to Hitler's Bunker, Berlin, 1946 and 'Bruce' at Sollum, December 1941

Large group portrait of the 'Special Meeting of The Municipal Council of Sydney on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the City of Sydney, 20th July, 1942'

2 copies of a group portrait of the Members of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party, 1950. Names of members are listed below the portrait

40 loose photographs, 1 postcard and 2 clippings including:
Clipping from, 'The Vancouver Sun', 16 November 1946, featuring portrait of Mr and Mrs Grant; postcard from Cyprus wishing Senator Grant a Merry Christmas; clipping from, 'The Triad', 10 September 1921, showing a mock-up coin, 'Donald Grant. By Dora Ohlfsen. This is the notorious agitator who was in jail over the I.W.W. scandals'; 2 photos of Donald Grant addressing large crowds including one inscribed, 'shows the famous May Day meeting at which the Red Flag was flowing'; 2 photos of Donald Grant at a Jewish Labour Bund dinner (banner in the photograph reads 1897-1957 'Bund'); portrait of Mr and Mrs Grant amongst a crowd dated 24 February 1958; photo of Mr and Mrs Grant with an unidentified woman, 23 January 1949; portrait of Donald Grant with two other men as a young man?; photograph of Donald Grant with Arthur Calwell; photograph of Donald Grant sitting amongst a crowd somewhere in Asia; photograph with inscription that reads, 'Hold up in Coal Production - Portion of audience of more than 20,000 enthusiastically supporting the policy of the Federal and State Labor Governments at Birdwood Park, Newcastle, 24 July, 1949'; 3 copies (different sizes) of photograph of Duke of Gloucester opening Federal Parliament House, 1933; portrait inscribed, 'The Late Mr Percy Brookfield Died 22.3.21 'He died to save others'; 3 copies of photograph of Donald Grant in conversation with John Curtin and a man in military uniform; group portrait inscribed, 'Mr Whitlam's father, Mr and Mrs Grant, Paris'; photograph of Donald Grant addressing a rally with a banner in background (somewhat obscured) that reads, 'Australian Labor Party Nationalisation of Banking (?), photograph of four young men inscribed on back with, 'To D. M. Grant To whom I owe much in my understanding of the Labor movement Gordon Brown President of the Senate Canberra Nov/1950, Front. D. M. Grant, Jack Reid, Jim Quinton, Gordon Brown, Percy Mandero (?); photo of Donald Grant and Gordon Brown (?) walking down a street, portrait featuring Tom Moore, Morris Fagan, Bob Besant, Bill Beattie, Donald Macpherson, Tom Glynn, Peter Larkin, Donald Grant, Jack Hamilton, Billy Teen; print with portraits of Peter Larkin, Donald McPherson, John B. King, William Teen, Thomas Moore, Bernard Bob Besant and others; photograph inscribed, 'Britain's Prime Minister (Clement Atlee) makes his speech. Paris Peace Conference - Second Day. 31-7-46; also includes various family portraits and pictures including Mr and Mrs Grant

Forms part of MLMSS 2005

Out of copyright: Created before 1955
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
Copyright status:: In copyright (applies to photograph of Mr and Mrs Grant dated 24 February 1958)
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and Courtesy L.J. Dwyer, Canberra

Pic.Acc. Upgrade Project - Information transferred from Pic.Acc.2004 as part of the eRecords Project 2011-2012

Some photographs and clippings are inscribed with dates, names of subjects, thank you notes etc