George Lawson (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
George Lawson was an Australia
n trade union official and politician.
Lawson was born in South Pine River
, near Caboolture, Queensland
and educated at Warner
State School. He fought in the Boer War
South Africa with the 5th (Queensland Imperial Bushmen) Contingent in 1901-02 and was mentioned in dispatches
. He married Rebecca Jane Buchanan in 1907 and they had two sons but she died in 1918. In 1907, he helped founded the Brisbane Trolleymen, Draymen and Carter's Union and was elected its secretary in 1908. The union later became the Carters and Drivers' Union and in 1912 he was elected its general secretary, a position he held for almost twenty years. He was president of the Trades and Labour Council of Queensland
in 1924 and 1927.
Town Council from 1916 to 1921 and appointed as an Australian Labor Party
member of the Queensland Legislative Council
in 1919, and helped bring about its abolition in 1922. He was elected the member for Brisbane
in the Australian House of Representatives
in the 1931 elections
. In 1935 he married Kathleen Lally. With the election of the Curtin government
in 1941 he became Minister for Transport, but lost his position in the ministry after the 1943 elections
. After Labor's defeat in 1949 elections
, he was a strong supporter of H. V. Evatt
and opponent of both communists and groupers
.
Lawson retired from parliament in 1961. He died at his home in the Brisbane
suburb of Ashgrove
, survived by his wife and the sons of his first marriage.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n trade union official and politician.
Lawson was born in South Pine River
South Pine River
South Pine River flows from the foothills of Mount Glorious, north-west of Brisbane City, to its convergence with North Pine River at Lawnton, Queensland Australia.On early maps the river was called Eden River...
, near Caboolture, Queensland
Caboolture, Queensland
Caboolture is an urban centre approximately north of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. Caboolture is considered to be the northernmost urban area of the greater Brisbane metropolitan region within South East Queensland, and it marks the end of the Brisbane suburban commuter...
and educated at Warner
Warner, Queensland
Warner is a suburb north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Moreton Bay Region located 22 kilometres north of the Brisbane central business district. Warner is situated east of Lake Samsonvale and west of the urban localities of Strathpine, Brendale, Bray Park and...
State School. He fought in the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
South Africa with the 5th (Queensland Imperial Bushmen) Contingent in 1901-02 and was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
. He married Rebecca Jane Buchanan in 1907 and they had two sons but she died in 1918. In 1907, he helped founded the Brisbane Trolleymen, Draymen and Carter's Union and was elected its secretary in 1908. The union later became the Carters and Drivers' Union and in 1912 he was elected its general secretary, a position he held for almost twenty years. He was president of the Trades and Labour Council of Queensland
Queensland Council of Unions
The Queensland Council of Unions is a representative body of Trade union organisations, known as a Labour council, in the State of Queensland, Australia...
in 1924 and 1927.
Political career
Lawson was elected an alderman of the WindsorWindsor, Queensland
Windsor is an inner northern suburb of Brisbane, located about 3.5 km from the CBD. It is largely residential, featuring many old Queenslanders, although there is also considerable retail commercial activity, primarily concentrated along Lutwyche and Newmarket Roads.-History:Land was first...
Town Council from 1916 to 1921 and appointed as an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the Queensland Legislative Council
Queensland Legislative Council
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...
in 1919, and helped bring about its abolition in 1922. He was elected the member for Brisbane
Division of Brisbane
The Division of Brisbane is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
in the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
in the 1931 elections
Australian federal election, 1931
Federal elections were held in Australia on 19 December 1931. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
. In 1935 he married Kathleen Lally. With the election of the Curtin government
First Curtin Ministry
The First Curtin Ministry was the thirtieth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 7 October 1941 to 21 September 1943.Australian Labor Party...
in 1941 he became Minister for Transport, but lost his position in the ministry after the 1943 elections
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
. After Labor's defeat in 1949 elections
Australian federal election, 1949
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 seats in the House of Representatives, and 42 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, where the single transferable vote was introduced...
, he was a strong supporter of H. V. Evatt
H. V. Evatt
Herbert Vere Evatt, QC KStJ , was an Australian jurist, politician and writer. He was President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1948–49 and helped draft the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
and opponent of both communists and groupers
Industrial Groups
The Industrial Groups were groups formed by the Australian Labor Party in the late 1940s, to combat Communist Party influence in the trade unions....
.
Lawson retired from parliament in 1961. He died at his home in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
suburb of Ashgrove
Ashgrove, Queensland
Ashgrove is an inner suburb of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, located approximately 4 km north-west of the Brisbane CBD. Ashgrove is a leafy residential suburb, characterised by its hilly terrain and characteristic Ashgrovian houses built in the early 20th century...
, survived by his wife and the sons of his first marriage.