Anderson Dawson

Who was Anderson Dawson?

Andrew Dawson, usually known as Anderson Dawson, was an Australian politician, the Premier of Queensland for one week 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.

Dawson was born at Rockhampton, Queensland. When he was six his mother died and he was placed in Diamantina orphanage in Brisbane 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.

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