Alfred Carson
Encyclopedia
Alfred Carson OBE
(7 November 1859 – 24 August 1944) was an Australian journalist and social worker.
Carson was born at Upper Swan
in Western Australia
to wheelwright George Carson and Charlotte, née Hadley. After attending government schools he began teaching at Perth
Boys' School as an assistant master when he was eighteen, becoming headmaster of Geraldton
Boys' School the following year. In the 1880s he joined the staff of the Victorian Express and was soon the editor. On 5 August 1884 he married Eva Massingham. In 1892 he was appointed inaugural editor of the Geraldton and Murchison Telegraph and in 1896 worked for the West Australian
, eventualy becoming associated editor. In 1912 he became editor of the Western Mail
and conducted the newspapers' case in the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
case that stipulated the first journalists' award in 1917. He also travelled to the Western Front
and the United Kingdom
in 1918 as Western Australia
's press representative.
Carson ran for parliament at the 1922 federal election
, unsuccessfully contesting Perth
as one of four endorsed Nationalist
s. He returned to journalism; he retired from 1938 until he resumed work in 1941 as a result of staff shortages caused by World War II
. Carson also had an active career in social work, founding the Infant Health Association and serving as president of the Silver Chain District Nursing Assocation and chairman of the Bush Nursing Society (1923–44). In 1941 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He died in 1944.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(7 November 1859 – 24 August 1944) was an Australian journalist and social worker.
Carson was born at Upper Swan
Upper Swan, Western Australia
Upper Swan is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Swan local government area.It contains Upper Swan Primary School....
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
to wheelwright George Carson and Charlotte, née Hadley. After attending government schools he began teaching at Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
Boys' School as an assistant master when he was eighteen, becoming headmaster of Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
Boys' School the following year. In the 1880s he joined the staff of the Victorian Express and was soon the editor. On 5 August 1884 he married Eva Massingham. In 1892 he was appointed inaugural editor of the Geraldton and Murchison Telegraph and in 1896 worked for the West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
, eventualy becoming associated editor. In 1912 he became editor of the Western Mail
Western Mail (Western Australia)
The Western Mail, or Western Mail, was the name of two weekly newspapers published in Perth, Western Australia.-West Australian newspapers:...
and conducted the newspapers' case in the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration is a defunct Australian court, which had jurisdiction to arbitrate interstate industrial disputes....
case that stipulated the first journalists' award in 1917. He also travelled to the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1918 as Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
's press representative.
Carson ran for parliament at the 1922 federal election
Australian federal election, 1922
Federal elections were held in Australia on 16 December 1922. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes lost its majority...
, unsuccessfully contesting Perth
Electoral district of Perth
The Electoral district of Perth is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Perth is named for the capital city of Western Australia whose central business district falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member...
as one of four endorsed Nationalist
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
s. He returned to journalism; he retired from 1938 until he resumed work in 1941 as a result of staff shortages caused by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Carson also had an active career in social work, founding the Infant Health Association and serving as president of the Silver Chain District Nursing Assocation and chairman of the Bush Nursing Society (1923–44). In 1941 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He died in 1944.