Sonia McMahon
| Sonia Hopkins Lady McMahon |
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Sonia McMahon in the Blue Mountains, 1971
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| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia | |
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In office 10 March 1971 – 5 December 1972 |
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| Preceded by | Lady Gorton |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Whitlam |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sonia Rachel Hopkins 1 August 1932 Strathfield, New South Wales |
| Died | 2 April 2010 (aged 77) Darlinghurst, New South Wales |
| Spouse(s) |
Sir William McMahon (m. 1965–1988; his death) |
| Children | 3; including Julian |
Sonia Rachel McMahon (née Hopkins, 1 August 1932 – 2 April 2010), was the wife of Sir William McMahon, Prime Minister of Australia, and a philanthropist and Sydney socialite.
Sonia Rachel Hopkins was born at 'Borambil', Redmyre Road, Strathfield, New South Wales. She was the daughter of Rachel May Lilla (née Matchett) and William Edward Hopkins, and granddaughter of grazier William G. Matchett, one of Australia's wealthiest men. His estate was valued at over £580,000 gross after his death in 1932, the year Sonia was born.
Sonia Hopkins worked as an occupational therapist until 1965 when she married William (better known as Billy) McMahon, an aspiring politician in Sir Robert Menzies' government. She was 32, he 57. It was the only marriage for both. He became Prime Minister in 1971.
Later that year, Sonia McMahon made world headlines after being photographed at the White House wearing a revealing dress in the company of her husband and United States president Richard Nixon. The white full-length dress featured see-through slits down both sides. The Washington Post described the dress as one of the most talked about items of clothing ever to be worn to the White House. In later years (then Lady McMahon) she spoke to her biographer, commenting that her husband chose the dress and that it had "certainly made an impact".
Their first two children (Melinda and Julian) were born before he became prime minister. Their third child, Deborah, was born in 1972, during McMahon's term as prime minister. As a prime ministerial spouse from March 1971 to December 1972, Sonia McMahon organised for a nanny to look after the children at the family home in the Sydney suburb of Bellevue Hill, while she lived with her husband at The Lodge, Canberra, attending official duties. In an interview with her biographer, Sonia McMahon said: "It was a hard decision. I loved being with Bill and I loved being a mum. But I knew I had to make a decision, and I chose to be with my husband."
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