The Hon. Robert Reginald DOWNING (1904 - 1994)

Date of Birth: 06/11/1904
Place of Birth: Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 09/09/1994
Place of Death: Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position	Start	End	Period	Notes
Member of the NSW Legislative Council	23 Apr 1940	4 Feb 1972	31yr(s) 9mth(s) 13day(s)	A Member of the indirectly elected Council 1934 - 1978. Date of Election 1 November 1939, 29 November 1951 and 21 November 1963.
Minister of Justice and Vice-President of Executive Council and Representative of Government.	16 May 1941	15 Mar 1956	14yr(s) 9mth(s) 29day(s)
Attorney General and Vice President of Executive Council and Representative of Government	15 Mar 1956	13 May 1965	9yrs 1mth 29days
Representative of members who are not supporters of the Government	13 May 1965	30 Mar 1966	10mth(s) 18day(s)
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council	31 Mar 1966	4 Feb 1972	5yr(s) 10mth(s) 5day(s)

Political Party Activity

Australian Labor Party (ALP). Heffron group from 1936 until 1939, president of Gladesville Branch, state and federal electorate councils; delegate to state and federal conferences.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (barrister). Textile worker and union organiser. Educated at Tumut convent school and St Patrick's College, Goulburn; left school at age 15 and worked at odd jobs in Tumut, moved to Sydney; labourer in the bleach house, Bonds textile factory; joined Australian Textile Workers Union, organiser and state president from 1928 until 1934, New South Wales secretary and federal president from 1934 until 1941, delegate to the Labor Council of New South Wales from 1934 until 1941, trustee from 1935 until 1941; matriculated to University of Sydney in 1938, LLB 1943; called to the Bar in 1943. Owner of a 700 acre sheep property outside Goulburn; trustee of Taronga Park from 1942 until 1972, vice president of Zoological Parks Board from 1972 until 1974; fellow of Senate of University of Sydney from 1949 until 1967, Honorary Member of New South Wales Cancer Council from 1954, President of Australian Cancer Society from 1969 until 1972.

Honours Received

Queens Counsel in 1972. Honorary LLD 1972.

Personal

Son of Robert Downing, council worker, and Frances Jean Galvin. Married Rose Moyeen on 11 April 1932 and had issue, 1 daughter and 2 sons. Roman Catholic. Brother of Francis George Downing, a Member of the Legislative Assembly; cousin of Thomas Chrysostom O'Mara, a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

Additional Information

Personal papers in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales: Robert Reginald Downing - papers, ca. 1941 - 1965 (MLMSS 2310); photographs in the PICMAN Database. Ken Turner and Michael Hogan (editors), The Worldly Art of Politics, Sydney, Federation Press, 2006 (Chapter 19: "Reg Downing: A safe pair of hands", by David Clune, page 228)

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