William Dickson (Australian politician)

(Redirected from William Edward Dickson)

William Edward Dickson (26 April 1893 – 22 May 1966) was an English-born Australian politician.[1][2]

William Dickson
12th President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
18 August 1952 – 22 May 1966
DeputyThomas Steele
Ernest Gerard Wright
Preceded byErnest Farrar
Succeeded byHarry Budd
NSW Minister for Building Materials
In office
9 March 1948 – 15 August 1952
PremierJim McGirr
Joseph Cahill
Preceded byClaude Matthews
Succeeded byPortfolio abolished
NSW Minister for Secondary Industries
In office
30 June 1950 – 15 August 1952
PremierJim McGirr
Joseph Cahill
Preceded byPortfolio created
Succeeded byPortfolio abolished
NSW Secretary for Mines
In office
21 September 1949 – 30 June 1950
PremierJim McGirr
Preceded byJim McGirr
Succeeded byJoshua Arthur
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
23 December 1925 – 22 April 1934
Appointed bySir Dudley de Chair
In office
23 April 1934 – 22 May 1966
Succeeded byNorman Boland
Personal details
Born(1893-04-26)26 April 1893
Widnes, Lancashire, England
Died22 May 1966(1966-05-22) (aged 73)
Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyNSW Labor
Lang Labor
Industrial Labor Party
EducationFarnworth Grammar

Early life

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Dickson was born at Widnes in Lancashire to alkali labourer Edward Dickson and Bertha Stancliffe. He migrated to Australia in 1913 and worked as an accountant for a mine in Broken Hill. He lost his job after opposing conscription during World War I, and worked as a labourer and then as manager of the Barrier Daily Truth. On 22 October 1922 he married Alice Celia Cogan, with whom he had five children.[1]

Political career

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He then moved to Sydney, and from 1925 to 1934 was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Involved in Bob Heffron's Industrial Labor Party, he soon returned to the ALP and was general secretary from 1940 to 1941 and campaign director from 1940 to 1952. He returned to the Legislative Council in 1940, where he would remain until his death. He was an assistant minister from 1941 to 1948, and from 1948 to 1952 was Minister for Building Materials, with his title changed to include additional responsibilities as Minister for Secondary Industries from 1950. In 1949 he was appointed Secretary for Mines in addition to his previous portfolios. He resigned from the ministry in 1952 when he was elected President of the Legislative Council. He retained the presidency until his death at Vaucluse in 1966.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Mr William Edward Dickson (1893-1966)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Biography - William Edward Dickson - Labour Australia". labouraustralia.anu.edu.au. Australian National University. Retrieved 29 September 2024.

 

Parliament of New South Wales
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Building Materials
1948–1952
Portfolio abolished
New portfolio Minister for Secondary Industries
1950–1952
Preceded by Secretary for Mines
1949–1950
Succeeded by
New South Wales Legislative Council
Preceded by President of the NSW Legislative Council
1952–1966
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Walter Evans
General Secretary of the NSW Labor Party
1940–1941
Succeeded by