Guide to the Papers of Patrick McMahon Glynn, 1874-1931

Summary

Collection number:

MS 4653

Creator:

Glynn, Patrick McMahon and Patrick McMahon Glynn

Extent:

4 metres and (24 boxes + 3 folio items)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Patrick McMahon Glynn, National Library of Australia, MS 4653, [box number and series and/or folder number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The papers consist of diaries, notebooks, correspondence, opinion books, newspaper cuttings, notes, photographs and printed material.

The papers date from 1874, the earliest items being the letters that Glynn wrote to various members of his family while he was still in Dublin. The diaries record in detail his life and thoughts from 1880, when he left Dublin, until 1927, four years before his death.

The other material in the collection provides information on Glynn's law practice, his years as a Member of the House of Representatives and as a Federal Minister and contains information on the political events and issues of the time, including Federation, the Murray Waters question and World War I.

Glynn had a deep interest in Classical and English literature, especially the work of Shakespeare, and the papers include many literary essays and lectures.

Biographical Note:

Patrick McMahon Glynn was born on 25 August 1855 in Gort, County Galway, Ireland and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. He was an excellent scholar and orator and became oratory medallist for Ireland in 1880.

Glynn emigrated to Australia in 1880 and after a short time in Melbourne, settled in Kapunda, South Australia. He practised law in both Adelaide and Kapunda with the firm of Hardy and Davis and in April 1883 became editor of the Kapunda Herald, a position he occupied for eight years. On 21 July 1883 he was called to the Bar in South Australia.

In 1887 Glynn was elected Member for Light in the South Australian Assembly. From 1895 to 1901 he was the Member for North Adelaide. He was one of the leaders of the Federation movement in South Australia, and was a delegate at the 1897-98 Convention. He was a member of its judicial committee. In December 1899 he became South Australian Attorney-General in the Solomon Ministry, which lasted for one week.

Glynn was elected a representative of South Australia in the first Federal Parliament in 1901 and in 1903 became the Member for Angas. He retained this seat until December 1919, being the last member of the Federal Convention to remain in the Federal Parliament. In the early years of the Federal Parliament Glynn was associated with the Free Trade party. He was Attorney-General in the 1909-10 Deakin Ministry and Minister for Home and Territories in the Hughes Ministry of 1917-20. In 1919 he was defeated in the general elections and Alexander Poynton became Minister for Home and Territories. Glynn then retired from politics.

Besides politics, Glynn was interested in constitutional law and literary subjects, particularly Shakespeare. In 1897 he married Abigail Dynon and they had two sons and four daughters. They settled in Adelaide at Glynneath, Mill Terrace. His wife died in 1929 and Glynn died from pneumonia on 28 October 1931, at the age of 76.

Reference: O'Collins, Gerald, Patrick McMahon Glynn: a founder of Australian Federation. Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1965.

Provenance:

The Glynn papers were received between 1958 and 1973 from Mrs J. O'Collins, Father G. O'Collins and Mrs J.S. Peters of Melbourne and Mr Aiden McMahon Glynn of Ireland. The marriage proposal from Glynn to Abigal Dynon was presented by Professor Maev O'Collins and Moira Peters in 1996.

Conditions Governing Access:

Access conditions may apply to this collection, please refer to the collection's catalogue record for further information (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn333142).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Patrick McMahon Glynn, National Library of Australia, MS 4653, [box number and series and/or folder number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

Contact us