Arthur Claude Moore
Arthur Claude Moore | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Strathbogie, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | October 4, 1978 (aged 80) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Public official, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1917–1954 |
| Known for | Director of import procurement in Department of Trade and Customs during WWII; chairman and managing director of Coca-Cola Bottlers (Sydney) Pty Ltd |
| Notable work | Leadership in Australia's wartime import procurement and Lend-Lease negotiations |
Arthur Claude Moore CBE (1 March 1898 – 4 October 1978) was an influential Australian public official and entrepreneur. Prominently involved with the Department of Trade and Customs throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he took part in multiple international trade missions. During the Second World War, he led the department’s import procurement division. Following his public service career, Moore transitioned to managing a Coca-Cola bottling enterprise.
Early life
Born in Strathbogie, Victoria as the eighth offspring of Mary (née Davis) and Reuben Edward Moore, Arthur Moore was raised by "Granny Andersen" in Melbourne alongside a sister after their mother passed away. He attended a public school in Moonee Ponds and initially worked as a junior clerk with Victorian Railways. In 1918, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, serving with the 7th Light Horse Regiment in Turkey.
Public service career
Moore began his career with the New South Wales branch of the Department of Trade and Customs in 1917, returning full-time after military service in 1919. Relocating to Melbourne in 1924, he earned his accounting qualification that same year. When Canberra became the nation's capital in 1927, Moore was among the pioneering public servants to transfer there. He represented Australia at the Ottawa Conference in 1932 and participated in the Australian Eastern Mission in 1934 on behalf of his department. Serving as principal adviser to trade minister Henry Gullett, he accompanied Prime Ministers Joseph Lyons and Earle Page on trade visits to London during 1935 and 1938. From 1935 onward, Moore held the position of assistant comptroller-general of customs. The Argus described him as "an outstanding authority on trade and manufacturing problems."
World War II
In September 1941, under the Fadden government, Moore was appointed director of import procurement within the Department of Trade and Customs. He oversaw the supply chain for critical goods and defence materials entering Australia and managed the administration of the Lend-Lease program. Throughout his leadership, he facilitated procurement amounting to £550 million (adjusted for current value) via Lend-Lease, Mutual Aid, and conventional purchasing channels. In 1944, Moore succeeded Lewis Macgregor as director-general of war supplies procurement based in Washington, D.C.. Alongside trade minister Richard Keane, he negotiated Australia's Lend-Lease settlement, finalizing the agreement following Keane's death in 1946. This arrangement enabled the federal government to acquire remaining American goods within Australia for £27 million.
Business career
Upon returning to Australia in June 1946, Moore left public service. While residing in the United States, he facilitated the transfer of The Coca-Cola Company's Sydney bottling operations to Australian ownership and was appointed chairman and managing director of Coca-Cola Bottlers (Sydney) Pty Ltd, a role he held until 1954. His commercial ventures also extended to a fertiliser manufacturing plant at Chullora as well as mining operations extracting bauxite and dolomite at Mount Fairy.
Personal life
In 1925, Moore wed Stella Hogan, and together they had three children, although two passed away during infancy. He received the honor of being named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1938. Later, in 1946 while in New York, he married Olga Badik from Canada, with whom he had two children. Beyond his career achievements, Moore held the position of president for the Wine and Food Society of New South Wales. He passed away at the age of 80 on 4 October 1978 at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney.