Emmet McDermott


Sir Emmet McDermott KBE was an Australian dentist, politician and Lord Mayor of Sydney between 1969 and 1972.

Early life

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. 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 from 1960 to 1961 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

City of Sydney

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.

Later life

In the 1972 New Year Honours he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the civil division.
Sir Emmet McDermott died in 2002 age 90. He is survived by his son and daughter from his first marriage, and his second wife.