Discover

'Andrew Dawson' (usually known as Anderson Dawson) (1863-1910), 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 accordingly (as historian Geoffrey Blainey pointed out), it attracted international newspaper coverage.
Dawson was born at Rockhampton, Queensland, on 16 July 1863. 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 he 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 on 20 July 1910.
The Federal electoral division of Dawson is named after him.
(Details from Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1949; see also Geoffrey Blainey, A Shorter History of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1995)