Anderson Dawson

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Anderson Dawson
honorific-suffix =

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caption =
order = 14th
office = Premier of Queensland
term_start = 1 December 1899
term_end = 7 December 1899
vicepresident =
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president =
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governor =
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succeeding =
predecessor = James Dickson
successor = Robert Philp
constituency =
majority =
birth_date = birth date|df=yes|1863|7|16
birth_place = Rockhampton, Queensland
death_date = death date and age|df=yes|1910|7|20|1863|7|16
death_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
nationality =
party = Australian Labor Party
spouse = Caroline Ryan
relations =
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Andrew Dawson (16 July 1863 – 20 July 1910), usually known as Anderson Dawson, was an Australian politician, the Premier of Queensland for one week (1-7 December) in 1899. This premiership was not only the first Australian Labor Party government; it was the first parliamentary socialist government anywhere in the world, and it attracted international newspaper coverage. [cite book
last =Blainey
first =Geoffrey
authorlink =Geoffrey Blainey
title =A shorter history of Australia
publisher =Vintage
date =2000
location =Milsons Point, N.S.W.
pages =263
isbn = 174051033X ]

Dawson was born at Rockhampton, Queensland. His parents died shortly after his birth and he was placed in a Brisbane orphanage until he was nine, when an uncle took him to Gympie. He began work as a miner at Charters Towers, and later was elected first president of the Miners' Union. He took up journalism and for a time was editor of the local newspaper, "The Charters Towers Eagle".Australian Dictionary of Biography
first=D. J.
last=Murphy
authorlink=
year=1981
id=A080269b
title =Dawson, Andrew (1863 - 1910)
accessdate = 2007-10-20] cite web
first=Percival
last=Serle
authorlink=Percival Serle
title =Dawson, Anderson (usually known as Anderson Dawson) (1863-1910)
publisher =Project Gutenberg Australia
work=Dictionary of Australian Biography
url =http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogD.html#dawson1
accessdate = 2007-10-20 ]

In 1893, Dawson entered politics as a Labor candidate for Charters Towers in the Queensland Legislative Assembly; he won the seat, and retained it at the 1896 and 1899 elections. When the government of James Robert Dickson resigned on 1 December 1899, Dawson formed a ministry, which was, however, defeated as soon as the house next met. Subsequently, at the first Federal election for the Senate (1901), he was returned at the head of the Queensland poll. In April 1904 when J.C. Watson formed the first Federal Labour government, Dawson was given the portfolio of Minister for Defence.

He lost his seat at the Federal election of December 1906 and died in 1910 in Brisbane.

The Federal electoral division of Dawson is named after him.

Notes

Persondata
NAME=Dawson, Anderson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH=16 July 1863
PLACE OF BIRTH= Rockhampton, Queensland
DATE OF DEATH=20 July 1910
PLACE OF DEATH=Brisbane