Alan Munro
Introduction
Sir Alan Whiteside Munro (23 May 1898 - 8 July 1968) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He was the Deputy Premier of Queensland from 1963 until 1965.
Biography
Munro was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the son of George Whiteside and his wife Florence Emily Maude (née Schmidt). He attended Brisbane Grammar School and after finishing school he was a public servant for the federal government from 1913 until 1924 and then he took up accountanting for the rest of his career.
He was a member of the Volunteer Defence Corps from 1941 to 1944 and chairman of the Queensland State Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants 1940-1942. Munro then became president of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce from 1942-1944 and Chairman of Directors of Queensland Newspapers Pty Ltd, from 1949-1950.
On the 29th June 1921 Munro married Minnie Beryl Nicholson(died 1977) and together had two sons. One son, Sergeant Donald Whiteside Munro, died in New Guinea while flying his Kittyhawk in 1942. Munro died in Brisbane in July 1968 and was accorded a state funeral.
Public life
Munro, representing the Liberal Party, won the seat of Toowong at the 1950 Queensland state election, replacing the retiring member, Charles Wanstall. He held the seat until 1966 when he retired from politics to allow "younger men to take the reins".
He served in several roles in the government of the day, including:
- Attorney-General - 1957
- Minister for Justice and Attorney-General - 1957-1963
- Leader of the Liberal Party and Deputy Premier - 1962-1965
- Minister for Industrial Development - 1963-1966
He was awarded a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 12 Jun 1965 for his "distinguished and statesmanlike services to the state as a minister and parliamentarian".