The Rt Hon. The Lord Casey
16th Governor General of Australia
In office 22 September 1965 – 30 April 1969
Preceded by	The Viscount De L'Isle
Succeeded by	Sir Paul Hasluck
Born	29 August 1890 Brisbane, Queensland
Died	7 June 1976 Berwick, Victoria

Richard Gardiner Casey, Baron Casey, KG, GCMG, CH, DSO, MC, PC (29 August 1890 - 17 June 1976), Australian politician and diplomat and 16th Governor-General of Australia, was born in Brisbane, Queensland. His father, also named Richard Gardiner Casey, was a wealthy pastoralist and Queensland state politician of Irish descent. His mother, Evelyn, was the daughter of George Harris, another wealthy pastoralist and Queensland state politician. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar, at the University of Melbourne (BA 1913), and at Cambridge, where he completed a Master of Arts (1918). In 1914 he joined the Australian Army, and served at Gallipoli as aide-de-camp to Major General Sir William Bridges. Casey was standing next to Bridges when Bridges was killed by a sniper. Later he served in France, earning the Military Cross and DSO. Lord Casey File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Governor-General of Australia is the highest constitutional officer in the Commonwealth of Australia. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... Year 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De LIsle, VC, KG, GCMG, GCVO, PC (23 May 1909–5 April 1991), 15th Governor-General of Australia, was the last British Governor-General. ... Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck (1 April 1905 - 9 January 1993), Australian historian, public servant and politician, and 17th Governor-General of Australia, was born in Fremantle, Western Australia, into a family of Salvationists, whose values he retained throughout his career. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia, with a metropolitan population of 1. ... Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ... Capital Melbourne Government Const. ... The insignia of a knight of the Order of the Garter. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. ... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... The Military Cross (MC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Michael Jeffery, the current Governor-General of Australia The Governor-General of Australia is the representative in Australia of Australias head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, who lives in the United Kingdom. ... Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia, with a metropolitan population of 1. ... Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... Melbourne Grammar School - Senior School Melbourne Grammar School is an independent school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, founded in 1858. ... The Old Quad Building, formerly Old Law The University of Melbourne, located in Melbourne, Victoria, is the second oldest university in Australia, and the oldest in Victoria. ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... Gallipoli peninsula (Turkish: , Greek: ) is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. ... Major General Sir William Throsby Bridges (February 18, 1861-May 18, 1915) served with Australian forces during World War I, and was the first Australian to reach the rank of General. ... The Military Cross (MC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ... DSO medal The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ...

His father died in 1919 and he returned after the war to Melbourne to take over his father's business interests including engineering and mining firms until 1924, when Prime Minister Stanley Bruce appointed him his political liaison officer in London, a position he held until 1931, sending home confidential reports on political and economic matters, both for Bruce and for his Labor successor, James Scullin. In 1926 he married Maie Ryan, with whom he had two children. Rt Hon Stanley Bruce Stanley Melbourne Bruce (15 April 1883 - August 25, 1967), Australian politician and diplomat, later Viscount Bruce of Melbourne and Westminster, was the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... James Henry Scullin (September 18, 1876–January 28, 1953), Australian politician and ninth Prime Minister of Australia, was born in the small town of Trawalla, in western Victoria, the son of a railway worker of Irish Catholic descent. ...

In 1931 Casey returned to Australia and was elected to the House of Representatives as UAP MP for the Geelong-based seat of Corio. Prime Minister Joseph Lyons appointed him an assistant minister in 1933, and in 1935 he became Treasurer. In 1939 Robert Menzies became Prime Minister for the first time. He saw Casey as a rival, and moved him to the lesser portfolio of Supply and Development. Australian House of Representatives chamber Entrance to the House of Representatives The Australian House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the Parliament of Australia. ... The United Australia Party or UAP was an Australian political party that was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia. ... - - Nickname: City by the Bay Geography Area: 1,240 km² Coordinates: Time Zone UTC +10:00 Population (2003) 200,067 Among Australian cities: Density: persons/km² Political Mayor: Shane Dowling Governing body: City of Greater Geelong Geelong is a port city of 200,067 people (2003 census) located on Corio... The Division of Corio is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. ... Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939), Australian politician, tenth Prime Minister of Australia. ... Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, KT, AK, CH, FRS, QC (20 December 1894 – 14 May 1978), Australian politician, was the twelfth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia, serving eighteen and a half years. ...

In 1940 Menzies appointed Casey as the first Australian Ambassador to the United States. This was a vital posting in wartime, but it also served to get Casey out of domestic politics. Casey was in Washington when the United States entered the war, and played an important role in establishing the alliance between the United States and Australia. Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United...

Casey moved to Cairo in 1942 when Winston Churchill appointed him Minister Resident in the Middle East. In this role he played a key role in negotiating between the British and Allied governments, local leaders and the Allied commanders in the field. In 1944, when the Middle East ceased to be a military theatre, the British government appointed Casey Governor of Bengal, a province of India. Casey held this post until 1946. Nickname: Al Qahirah (The Triumphant City) Cairos location in Egypt Coordinates: Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area    - City 210 km²  - Metro 1,492 km² Population (2005)  - City 7,438,376  - Density 35,420/km²  - Urban 10,834,495  - Metro 15,200,000 Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was an English statesman, soldier, and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... . ...

Casey with Mahatma Gandhi

In 1946 Casey returned to Australia, and became Federal President of the Liberal Party, the new party Menzies had formed in 1944 as part of his reorganisation of conservative politics in Australia. Although Menzies still saw Casey as a rival, and although Casey undoubtedly saw himself as a future Prime Minister, they formed an effective partnership. Casey and Gandhi The copyright status of this vintage image is undetermined; it may still be copyrighted. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ...

The Liberals won the 1949 elections, and Casey returned to the House of Representatives as MP for the outer Melbourne seat of La Trobe. Menzies appointed him Minister for Supply and Development. In 1951, when the Minister for External Affairs, Percy Spender (another Menzies rival), was dispatched to the Washington embassy, Casey succeeded him. Casey held the External Affairs post during the height of the Cold War, the Suez Crisis, the war in Indo-China and other major world events. He formed close relations with Anthony Eden, John Foster Dulles and other leaders. The Division of La Trobe is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. ... The Honourable Sir Percy Claude Spender, KCVO, KBE, KStJ, KC (5 October 1897 - 3 May 1985), was an Australian diplomat, politician and jurist. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 70,000 Casualties 197 Israeli KIA 56 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 43 French WIA 650 KIA 2,900 WIA 2... Indochina, or French Indochina, was a federation of French colonies and protectorates in south-east Asia, part of the French colonial empire. ... Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC (June 12, 1897– January 14, 1977), British politician, was Foreign Secretary for three periods between 1935 and 1955, including World War II and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1957. ... John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American statesman who served as Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. ...

Casey retired in 1960, and was created "Baron Casey, of Berwick in the State of Victoria and the Commonwealth of Australia, and of the City of Westminister", becoming the third and last Australian politician (after Sir John Forrest and Bruce) to be elevated to the House of Lords (although Forrest never took his seat). In 1965 Menzies appointed him Governor-General - the first time a conservative Prime Minister had appointed an Australian to the post. John Forrest, 1898 Sir John Forrest, PC, GCMG (22 August 1847–2 September 1918), sometimes incorrectly referred to Lord Forrest, 1st Baron Forrest of Bunbury, was an Australian explorer, the first premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australias first federal parliament. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... Governor-General (or Governor General) is a term used both historically and currently to designate the appointed representative of a head of state or their government for a particular territory, historically in a colonial context, but no longer necessarily in that form. ...

One of the arguments against appointing an Australian, particularly a former politician, as Governor-General had always been that they would be too closely involved with Australian personalities and issues to perform their constitutional role impartially. This became an acute issue for Casey in December 1967, when Prime Minister Harold Holt died. Harold Edward Holt CH (5 August 1908– presumed dead 17 December 1967) was an Australian politician who became the 17th Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 to 1967. ...

Casey could have commissioned the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, William McMahon, as acting Prime Minister, but instead he commissioned John McEwen, the leader of Liberals' coalition partner, the Country Party. In this he was following a precedent set in 1939, when Earle Page was commissioned as Prime Minister following the death of Joseph Lyons. But it was later alleged that Casey commissioned McEwen in order to prevent McMahon having an advantage in the Liberal Party's ballot for a new leader, since he shared the view of some Liberals that McMahon would not be a suitable successor. Sir William McMahon, GCMG, CH, PC (23 February 1908 – 31 March 1988), Australian politician and 20th Prime Minister of Australia, was born in Sydney, New South Wales, where his father was a lawyer. ... Sir John McEwen (March 29, 1900 - November 20, 1980), Australian politician and 18th Prime Minister of Australia, was born at Chiltern, Victoria, where his father was a pharmacist. ... The National Party of Australia is an Australian conservative political party, which claims to represent rural voters. ... Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page (August 8, 1880 – December 20, 1961), Australian politician, was the eleventh Prime Minister of Australia. ... Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939), Australian politician, tenth Prime Minister of Australia. ...

This matter was aired in a 1969 book, The Power Struggle, by veteran political journalist Alan Reid. Casey's biographer, W.J. Hudson says (in his 1986 book Casey) that Casey was concerned to preserve the Liberal-Country Party coalition, and that he knew (because McEwen told him) that the Country Party would not serve under McMahon. If this was his motive for commissioning McEwen rather than McMahon, it suggests that he did take political considerations into account in making his decision.

Casey left office in 1969 and he and his wife retired to their farm at Berwick in Victoria. Casey never fully recovered from a car accident in 1974, and died in June 1976. Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

Posthumous Eponymous Honours

The municipality which includes Berwick is now called the City of Casey. There is also federal Electoral Division of Casey (in a different part of Melbourne). Mayor/President Cr Kevin Bradford CEO Mike Tyler Electoral Divisions 5 wards with 2 councillors (Edrington, Four Oaks, River Gum, Mayfield, Springfield) 1 ward with 1 councillors (Balla Balla) Councillors Kevin Bradford, Rob Wilson, Paul Richardson, Colin Butler, Brian Hetherton, Wayne Smith, Steve Beardon, Mick Morland, Janet Halsall, Michael Farley... The Division of Casey is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. ...

The Canberra suburb of Casey and Casey Station, a base in the Australian Antarctic Territory, were named in Casey's honour. Canberra (pronounced [1]) is the capital city of Australia and with a population of just over 325,000, is Australias largest inland city. ... Casey is a designated suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Gungahlin. ... Casey Station is a permanent base in Antarctica managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). ... The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia. ...

The R.G. Casey Building in Canberra is the headquarters of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is an Australian government department concerned with the relations between Australia and other nations, both in political and economic terms. ...

Further reading

• R G Casey, Australian Foreign Minister, Collins 1972
• R G Casey, Personal Experience, Comstable 1962
• W J Hudson, Casey, Oxford University Press 1986
• Alan Reid, The Power Struggle, Tartan Press 1969

Governors-General of Australia
Hopetoun | Tennyson | Northcote | Dudley | Denman | Munro-Ferguson | Forster | Stonehaven | Isaacs | Gowrie | Gloucester | McKell | Slim | Dunrossil | De L'Isle | Casey | Hasluck | Kerr | Cowen | Stephen | Hayden | Deane | Hollingworth | Jeffery