David Hall (Australian politician)

{{short description|Politician and lawyer in New South Wales, Australia}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = David Hall

| honorific-suffix =

| image = David Robert Hall.jpg

| constituency_MP = Werriwa

| parliament = Australian

| majority =

| predecessor = Alfred Conroy

| successor = Benjamin Bennett

| term_start = 12 December 1906

| term_end = 1 April 1912

| office2 = Attorney General of New South Wales

| predecessor2 = William Holman

| successor2 = John Garland {{post-nominals|country=AUS|KC}}

| term_start2 = 29 January 1914

| term_end2 = 23 July 1919

| office3 = Solicitor General for New South Wales

| predecessor3 = Walter Bevan

| successor3 = William Holman

| term_start3 = 4 April 1912

| term_end3 = 28 January 1914

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1874|3|5}}

| birth_place = Harrietville, Victoria, Australia

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1945|9|6|1874|3|5}}

| death_place = Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

| nationality = Australian

| spouse =

| party = Labor (1901–17)
Nationalist (1917–20)

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = University of Sydney

| occupation = Barrister

| profession =

| religion =

| signature =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

David Robert Hall (5 March 1874{{spaced ndash}}6 September 1945) was a politician and lawyer in New South Wales, Australia. He came from a political family which included Maggie Hall and he went to leading positions including Attorney General of New South Wales.

Life

Hall was born in Harrietville, Victoria. His sisters were Margaret Cable Hall who was known as Maggie, Jeanette and Marion and he had several brothers. His parents, Marion and Thomas had a guest house which was used for political meetings including a visit by Ramsay MacDonald.{{Cite web |title=Obituary - Margaret Cable (Maggie) Hall - Obituaries Australia |url=https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/hall-margaret-cable-maggie-32273 |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=oa.anu.edu.au}}

He studied law at the University of Sydney before becoming a barrister in 1903. By that time, he had already become involved in state politics, having been elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the member for the rural electorate of Gunnedah in 1901.{{Cite NSW Parliament |name=The Hon. David Robert Hall (1874-1945) |former=Yes |access-date=30 April 2019 |id=1260}}{{cite NSW election |title=Elections for the District of Gunnedah |year=DistrictIndexes |district=Gunnedah |access-date=2020-09-22}}

Hall made a switch to federal politics at the 1906 election, contesting the House of Representatives seat of Werriwa for the Labor Party. He was successful, defeating Alfred Conroy, the sitting Free Trade Party member. Hall represented the electorate until 1912, when he resigned mid-term to return to State politics. At the subsequent by-election, the new Labor candidate, Benjamin Bennett, once again defeated Conroy.

On 2 April 1912 New South Wales Premier James McGowen appointed Hall to the Legislative Council and as Minister of Justice.{{Gazette NSW |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227590871 |title=Appointment of David Robert Hall to the Legislative Council |issue=46 |date=2 April 1912 |access-date=15 August 2021 |page=2127 |via=Trove}} Two days later he was also appointed Solicitor General.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227591157 |title=Appointment of the Honourable David Robert Hall, MLC, to be also Solicitor-General |newspaper=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=49 |date=10 April 1912 |access-date=1 February 2019 |page=2229 |via=Trove}} Hall moved to the Legislative Assembly when he won the seat of Enmore in December 1913, holding it until 1920.{{Cite NSW election |title=Elections for the District of Enmore |year=DistrictIndexes |district=Enmore |access-date=26 August 2019}} He was Attorney General between 1914 and 1919. Hall was Attorney General in the Holman Labor ministry from 1914 until November 1916 when Holman and his supporters, including Hall, were expelled from the Labor Party for supporting conscription.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15681060 |title=PLL expulsions |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=7 November 1916 |access-date=7 May 2020 |page=7 |via=Trove}} Holman continued as Premier with the support of the Liberal Reform Party,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15680629 |title=Proceedings in the Assembly: censure motion defeated |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=11 November 1916 |access-date=7 May 2020 |page=13 |via=Trove}}
{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15675529 |title=No state crisis |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=13 November 1916 |access-date=7 May 2020 |page=6 |via=Trove}} and Hall continued to be Attorney General, but was no longer Minister of Justice. In 1919 he became Minister for Housing and Vice-President of the Executive Council until February 1920.

Hall was appointed Agent-General for New South Wales in London in February 1920,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15874325 |title=Agent-General |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=5 February 1920 |access-date=16 February 2018 |page=6 |via=Trove}} but this appointment was cancelled in April by the incoming Storey Labor government.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |first=Bede |last=Nairn |title =Hall, David Robert (1874-1945) |id2=hall-david-robert-6524 |year=1983 |access-date=2021-09-21}}{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15882672 |title=Mr. D. R. Hall |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=22 April 1920 |access-date=16 February 2018 |page=7 |via=Trove}}{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222080165 |title=Government Gazette Appointments and Employment |work=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=89 |date=7 May 1920 |access-date=16 February 2018 |page=2713 |via=Trove}}

Hall subsequently had a successful career as a solicitor and ran unsuccessfully for the United Australia Party in the Senate in 1937.

He died in Vaucluse on {{death date and age|df=yes|1945|9|6|1874|3|5}}.