Editing William McMahon (section)

===Childhood and education===
McMahon spent his early life in Redfern. His mother died in 1917, when he was nine years old, and he was subsequently raised by her relatives.<ref name=p144/> He moved home frequently as he was shifted between family members, living for periods in [[Kensington, New South Wales|Kensington]], [[Beecroft, New South Wales|Beecroft]], [[Gordon, New South Wales|Gordon]], and [[Centennial Park, New South Wales|Centennial Park]]. McMahon saw little of his father or his siblings, who were raised separately; his older brother James died of [[Spanish flu]] in 1919. His uncle [[Samuel Walder]] – a businessman who was [[Lord Mayor of Sydney]] in 1932 – acted as a sort of surrogate father.

McMahon began his education at [[Abbotsholme College]], a short-lived private school in [[Killara, New South Wales|Killara]]. One of his schoolmates there was [[Harold Holt]], another future prime minister. He was later sent to [[Sydney Grammar School]], where he was an above-average student without excelling academically.<ref>Whitington (1972), p. 145.</ref>

McMahon's father died when he was 18, leaving him a substantial inheritance.<ref name=p144/> He had failed the [[Higher School Certificate (New South Wales)|leaving certificate]] at Sydney Grammar. However, by his passing a [[Matriculation examination|matriculation exam]], McMahon was able to enter the [[University of Sydney]] in 1927. At the insistence of his uncle, he chose to study law, graduating with a [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1930.<ref name=p146>Whitington (1972), p. 146.</ref> McMahon, who lived at [[St Paul's College, University of Sydney|St Paul's College]], was more interested in the social scene than his degree. He spent his inheritance freely, owning several [[racehorse]]s, and was known for betting significant amounts on the races. According to [[Alan Reid (journalist)|Alan Reid]], "his reputation was that he completed his university career on less actual work than anyone in the college".<ref name=reid>{{cite news|author=[[Alan Reid (journalist)|Alan Reid]]|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/229622998|newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]]|date=18 July 1950|title=Politician who shuns the limelight|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319004227/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/229622998|archive-date=19 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite his diminutive physique – he stood {{convert|5|ft|7|in|cm}} as an adult – McMahon did achieve some success as an athlete. He won his university's lightweight boxing title, and in his final year at Sydney Grammar rowed in the [[Head of the River (New South Wales)|Head of the River]] race.<ref name=p146/>