John Davis McCaughey (12 July 1914 in Belfast, Northern Ireland - 25 March 2005 Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)) was an eminent theologian, church and university administrator, and was Governor of Victoria from 1986-1992.
Working Life
McCaughey was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1941.
During the next decade he also worked for the British Council of Churches .
In 1953 the McCaughey family emigrated to Australia for him to become the Professor of New Testament Studies for the Theological Hall at Ormond College, University of Melbourne.
He was Master of Ormond between 1957 and 1979.
He served as Deputy Chancellor of the University of Melbourne in 1978-1979.
He was also involved in the foundation of La Trobe University in the mid-1960s.
Uniting Church in Australia
Rev Dr McCaughey was a key architect in bringing together the Presbyterian,
Methodist and Congregational churches to form the Uniting Church in Australia.
He was the primary author behind the Basis of Union, the foundational theological document that led to the formation of the new denomination.
He was president of the first Assembly of the Uniting Church in 1977 to 1979.
Governor of Victoria
At age 71, in 1986, he was appointed as Governor of the state of Victoria by the Premier, John Cain, and served until 1992. He also served during the Premiership of Joan Kirner.
His characteristic down-to-earth approach to this largely symbolic Vice-regal role healed the minor scandal which occasioned the departure of his predecessor, Sir Brian Murray . Notably, he opened Government House to the public, exchanged the Rolls Royce car for an Australian made vehicle, flew business class instead of first class, and dispensed with military aides de camp.
Cain said of McCaughey, "He was unassuming, down-to-earth, unfailingly courteous to everybody and unaffected by the trappings of the office." Kirner commented, "He was one of the few people who could bring common good and a broad sense of morality to life."
Family
McCaughey was married to his wife, Jean, for 64 years, having married in 1941, the year of his ordination as a minister. Their five children include former National Gallery of Victoria director, Patrick McCaughey .
