Early Life
William McMahon was born in Sydney, the son of Mary Ann (née Walder) and William McMahon, a lawyer. His uncle (his mother's brother) was Samuel Robert Walder, Lord Mayor of Sydney. McMahon's mother died when he was 9 and his father when he was 18. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in law. He practised in Sydney with Allen, Allen & Hemsley (now Allens Arthur Robinson), the oldest law firm in Australia. In 1940 he joined the Army, but because of a hearing loss, he was confined to staff work. After World War II, he travelled in Europe and completed an economics degree at the University of Sydney.
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