Davis McCaughey: A Life

Davis McCaughey (1914-2005) is best known for his time as Governor of Victoria (1986-1992), as Master of University of Melbourne’s Ormond College, and for his time as Deputy Chancellor at the university. This biography explores the character and achievements of a man who began life in a deeply conservative family in Belfast and ended up a supporter of radical student politics and campaigned for the abolition of capital punishment. McCaughey played a central role in the amalgamation of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Churches into the Uniting Church in Australia and was regarded by many, including Manning Clark, as one of the greatest and most elegant public speakers of his era. This biography contains much of his writing.