Sir (Lawrence) Emmet McDermott KBE (6 September 1911 – 31 August 2002) was an Australian dentist, politician and Lord Mayor of Sydney between 1969 and 1972.[1]

Sir Emmet McDermott
73rd Lord Mayor of Sydney
In office
27 September 1969 – 31 December 1972
DeputyNicholas Shehadie
Preceded byJohn Armstrong
Succeeded byDavid Griffin
Alderman of the Sydney City Council
In office
1 December 1962 – 13 November 1967
ConstituencyGipps Ward
In office
27 September 1969 – 16 September 1977
ConstituencyMacquarie Ward
Personal details
Born(1911-09-06)6 September 1911
Glebe, New South Wales, Australia
Died31 August 2002(2002-08-31) (aged 90)
Political partyCivic Reform Association
Spouse(s)Arline Hagon (m.1939–d.1987)
Eula McDonald (–2002)
ChildrenJohn Emmet McDermott
Anne Keeling
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
Northwestern University
ProfessionDental Surgeon

Early life

edit

Emmet McDermott was born in Glebe, the sixth of ten children. Educated at St Ignatius' College and the University of Sydney where he graduated in dentistry, he earned a doctorate of dentistry from Northwestern University in Chicago.[1] McDermott was Consultant Dental Surgeon at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital from 1942 and also worked at the Sydney Dental Hospital. He was the President of the Australian Dental Association (NSW) from 1960 to 1961 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (FRACDS).[1]

City of Sydney

edit

Joining the Civic Reform Association, he was elected to the Council of the City of Sydney in 1962, becoming Lord Mayor in 1969.

As Lord Mayor, he was instrumental in the preservation of the historic Queen Victoria Building and the conversion of Martin Place into a pedestrian mall.[2]

Later life

edit

In the 1972 New Year Honours he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the civil division.[3]

Sir Emmet McDermott died in 2002 age 90. He is survived by his son and daughter from his first marriage, and his second wife.[citation needed]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Lawrence McDermott". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  2. ^ Stephens, Tony (20 September 2002). "Mayor who changed the face of Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  3. ^ "McDERMOTT, Lawrence Emmett - The Order of the British Empire - Knight Commander (Civil)". It's an Honour database. Australian Government. 1 January 1972. Retrieved 29 April 2017. Lord Mayor of Sydney
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by
President of the Australian Dental Association (NSW)
1960 – 1961
Succeeded by
Civic offices
Preceded by Lord Mayor of Sydney
1969 – 1972
Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Sydney County Council
1977 – 1978
Succeeded by
Douglas Burleigh Carruthers