MS 6890

Papers of F.L. McDougall (1884-1958)



Scope and content note

Papers

1903-50

56 cm. (4 boxes)

Available for reference

The collection was lent for copying by Elizabeth McDougall, the daughter of F.L. McDougall, in London in 1984.

The papers comprise McDougall's letters to his family, general correspondence, articles and addresses by McDougall, newspaper cuttings, photographs and printed material. The subjects of the correspondence include relations between CSIRO and the Government, the 1930 Imperial Conference, a proposal of McDougall to establish a department to collate information and statistics, Australian politics (including the Scullin Government and Parkes By-election), the quota system for wheat and personal news.

The correspondents include Elspeth Huxley (Grant), S.M. Bruce (later Lord Bruce), Sir David Rivett, Sir Walter Elliot, Lord Beaverbrook and Neville Chamberlain.


Biographical note

1884 Born on 16 April in Greenwich, Kent. McDougall went to school in Blackheath, London

1903-05 Studied in Darmstadt, Germany

1907-09 Left England for South Africa

1909 Arrived in South Australia

1909-15 Fruit farming in Renmark, South Australia

1915 Married Madeline Joyce Cutlack on 4 September

1915-18 Served in Egypt and France with the 1st Anzac Cyclist Battalion

1918 Joined the Australian Dried Fruits Association

1922-32 Representative of the Australian Dried Fruits Association in London

1926 Awarded CMG

1926-32 A member of the Empire Marketing Board, London

1928-40 Regular adviser to Australian Delegations at the League of Nations in Geneva

1932-45 Economic Advisor to the Australian Government in London

1941-42 Worked with Australian economic missions in Washington

1943-45 Worked for the establishment of Food and Agricultural Organisation in New York

1945-58? Counsellor to the Director General and Special Assistant representing Food and Agricultural Organisation at the United Nations General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council

1958 Died in Rome on 15 February

Reference

· Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 10, pp. 258-259

· Who's who in Australia 1959, p. 492


Series list

Series/Title

1 McDougall's letters to family, c. 1900-53

2 Letters to Elspeth Huxley, 1930-36

3 General correspondence, 1929-54

4 Articles and addresses by McDougall, 1929-52

5 Other papers, 1925-58


Series description

Series 1 McDougall's letter to his family, c.1900-53

The series comprises photocopies of letters written by McDougall from boarding school in England, school in Germany, London, on his way to Australia via South Africa, Renmark in South Australia, Egypt, France and America.

The subjects include personal news, his views on women's right movement and religion, joining the AIF, his work on the Imperial Economic Committee and as Secretary of the Dried Fruits Association in London, the progress of their farm in South Australia and Australian elections.

Folder

1 Letters, written from boarding school, to his mother, c.1900

2 Letters from Darmstadt, Germany, 1903-5

3 Letters to sister, Kit, written from London, 1906-7

4 Letters written on the way to Australia, via South Africa, to Kit, 1907-9

5 Letters to Kit from Renmark and Adelaide, 1910-15

6 Letters to family written while serving in AIF, 1916-18

7 Letters to family written from Renmark, 1919-22

8-9 Letters mostly to brother, Norman, written from London, 1923-26

10 Letters to family written from London, Geneva and Washington, c.1930-53

Series 2 Letters to Elspeth Huxley, 1930-36

The series comprises letters from the writer, Elspeth Huxley (Grant) in London, to McDougall mostly containing personal news, such as invitations to dinner or tea. In a few of the letters Huxley discussed matters relating to trade and agricultural policy.

Folder

1-2 1930

3 1931

4 1933

5 1934

6 1935-36

Series 3 General correspondence, 1929-54

The series comprises copies of letters written by correspondents such as Lord Beaverbrook (information sought for Empire Free Trade, Sheltered markets and payment for research) Walter Elliot (discussion with Moody on proposal of McDougall to establish a department to collate information and statistics on tariffs), S.M. Bruce (the 1930 Imperial Conference, quota system for wheat and the Scullin Government), Sir David Rivett (political developments in Australia, relations between CSIRO and the Government, public finace and agricultural matters) and others.

Folder

1 Letters of Lord Beaverbrook, 1929-31

2 McDougall's letters to S.M. Bruce and Sir Basil Blackett, letters of Neville Chamberlain, R.M. Barrington Ward and others, 1929-39

3 Letters of S.M. Bruce, 1930-31

4 Letters of Sir Walter Elliot, 1930-34

5 Letters of Sir David Rivett, 1931-33

6 Miscellaneous letters, 1939-54

Series 4 Articles and addresses by F.L. Mc Dougall, 1929-52

The series comprises photocopies of articles and addresses by McDougall on economic and agricultural matters. They include 'An empire agricultural policy', 'The distribution of secondary industries in the Empire' and 'Notes on economic policy', 'The agricultural and the health problems' and 'Notes on British tariff and Imperial economic policy'.

Folder

1 Typescript of an account of McDougall's journey across America, 19?

2 Articles and addresses, 1929-30

3 Articles and addresses, 1930-34

4 Articles and addresses, 1931-52

5 Articles and addresses, 1934-39

6 Articles and addresses, 1940-41

Series 5 Other papers, 1925-58

The series contains newspaper cuttings, photographs of McDougall (mostly taken at international conferences), obituary articles and tributes to McDougall, photocopies of printed material and other papers.

Folder

1 Newspaper cuttings, 1925

2 Photographs, 1916-57

3 Obituary articles, 1958

4 Photocopies of printed material

5 Miscellaneous items


Box list

Box

Series

Folder

1

1

1-8

2

1

9-10

2

2

1-6

3

3

1-6

3

4

1-3

4

4

4-6

4

5

1-5

October 1984
Revised July 2000