Death
At the 1972 election which brought Whitlam to the Prime Ministership, Calwell retired from Parliament. In July 1973, he died. He was given a state funeral at St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth and his daughter Mary Elizabeth.
Notwithstanding Calwell's poor relations with the conservative press in Australia and his public battles against right-wing Catholics like Archbishop Mannix and B. A. Santamaria, he maintained a cordial relationship with Menzies. Menzies, for his part, never lost his respect and outright personal liking for Calwell. He attended Calwell's obsequies, but (according to his biographer Allan W. Martin) became so overwhelmed by grief after arriving at the cathedral that he was actually unable to compose himself and leave his car.
Read more about this topic: Arthur Calwell
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