Margaret Reid (politician)
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The Honourable Margaret Reid AO |
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|---|---|
| President of the Australian Senate | |
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In office 20 August 1996 – 19 August 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Beahan |
| Succeeded by | Paul Calvert |
| Senator for Australian Capital Territory | |
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In office 5 May 1981 – 14 February 2003 |
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| Preceded by | John Knight |
| Succeeded by | Gary Humphries |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Margaret Elizabeth McLachlan 28 May 1935 Crystal Brook, South Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Tom Reid (m. 1966) |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide |
| Profession | Barrister |
Margaret Elizabeth Reid AO (born 28 May 1935) is a former Australian politician. She was the first woman to be President of the Australian Senate.
Born Margaret McLachlan at Crystal Brook near Adelaide, South Australia, Reid was educated at the University of Adelaide, obtaining a LLB. There she joined the Liberal Party, becoming the first female president of the Australian Liberal Students Federation. After graduating, Reid became a barrister, specialising in family law; and moved to Canberra in 1965.
On 5 May 1981, Margaret Reid was elected by a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament to fill a casual vacancy in the representation of the Australian Capital Territory in the Senate, following the sudden death of her close friend, Senator John Knight. This was the first of only two occasions on which a Senate casual vacancy was filled in this manner, as the law was later changed to provide for a replacement senator to be appointed by the relevant territory (ACT or NT) legislative assembly.
Reid became Liberal Whip in the Senate in 1987 and held the office until 1995. In 1996, she was elected President of the Senate, retiring from the position in 2002 after six years. Reid resigned from the Senate on 14 February 2003, and was replaced by the former ACT Chief Minister, Gary Humphries.
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