 Northcott was Administrator of the Commonwealth in the absence of the governor @-@ general from 19 July to 14 December 1951 , and again from 30 July to 22 October 1956 . While occupying that office , he held the honorary rank of general . He was awarded honorary degrees of Doctor of Letters by the University of Sydney in 1952 and the University of New England in 1956 , and Doctor of Science by the New South Wales University of Technology in 1956 . He retired in July 1957 . In April 1964 , Northcott and Forde represented Australia at General MacArthur 's funeral in Washington , D.C. 
