He was the (supposedly) American-born politician who was part of the argument of where to locate the Australian national capital. The teetotaller who banned alcohol in the new territory so, naturally, inspired the name for one of Canberra's most popular pubs.
King O'Malley was as colourful as he was enigmatic, according to the artist who has come up with a new, modern take on the early 20th century mover and shaker.
Mick Ashley will be unveiling his new portrait at King O'Malley's pub in Civic on Sunday, the 110th anniversary of the founding and naming of Canberra, on March 12, 1913.
King O'Malley's pub owner Peter Barclay commissioned Ashley to create a new portrait of O'Malley to celebrate Canberra's birthday, as he had done for its 105th birthday in 2018, when Christopher Troth did the honours.
Mr Barclay said the new picture would be unveiled at the pub at 12.30pm on Sunday, with many of the people who helped to organise Canberra's centenary celebrations a decade ago in attendance.
The public was also more than welcome to attend the unveiling and view the new work, which will be available to purchase in postcard and other sizes.
"We think Mick has done a wonderful job and just created a really new, modern taken on O'Malley," Mr Barclay said.
"He's done a lot of research on O'Malley and come up with lots of details in the images."
Elected to the first Australian parliament in 1901, King O'Malley was part of the vote to determine where to place the national capital. He voted for Tooma, Bombala and Delegate, all in the nearby high country, before Canberra.
As the Home Affairs Minister he helped develop the new national capital.
Mick Ashley said he enjoyed designing the portrait, finding O'Malley to an inscrutable character, an "enigmatic person who reputedly helped create Federation, create Canberra as a national capital and fathered the Commonwealth Bank".
"Not all of these facts are entirely true but they're not entirely false either," Ashley said.
"Even his actual birthplace and date of birth are shrouded with mystery. What is known is that he was entrepreneurial with his finances and was a true spruiker and classical politician. O'Malley would be very much at home in a Wild West scene, selling snake oil or grabbing votes.
"He pushed hard for a new capital, but Canberra was ranked about fourth on his preferences.
"In life's ironies, he was a teetotallar and pushed hard for the evils of drinking to be banished from the ACT. You had to go to Queanbeyan for booze until the mid 1920s.
"Having a pub in his name is a fitting paradox for O'Malley."
O'Malley banned the granting of liquor licences in the ACT from 1911 until the decree was overturned in 1928.
Until then, Canberra locals could still bring alcohol from across the border to drink. Or, indeed, head over to Queanbeyan to frequent a pub there.
Now, as the 110th birthday of Canberra approaches, plenty will on Sunday be raising a glass to toast the man who would have hated the very thought of it.
