William Dickson (Australian politician)

English-born Australian politician

The Honourable

William Dickson

12th President of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
18 August 1952 – 22 May 1966
Deputy| Thomas Steele
Ernest Gerard Wright
Preceded by| Ernest Farrar
Succeeded by| Harry Budd
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
In office
23 December 1925 – 22 April 1934
Appointed by| Sir Dudley de Chair
In office
23 April 1934 – 22 May 1966
Succeeded by| Norman Boland
Personal details
Born| (1893-04-26)26 April 1893
Widnes, Lancashire, England
Died| 22 May 1966(1966-05-22) (aged 73)
Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia
Political party| Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)
Australian Labor Party (NSW)
Industrial Labor Party
Education| Farnworth Grammar

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

## Early life[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Mr William Edward Dickson (1893-1966)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 April 2019.

Parliament of New South Wales

Political offices
Preceded by

Claude Matthews

|  Minister for Building Materials
1948–1952  | Portfolio abolished
New portfolio  |  Minister for Secondary Industries
1950–1952
Preceded by

James McGirr

|  Secretary for Mines
1949–1950  | Succeeded by

Joshua Arthur

New South Wales Legislative Council
Preceded by

Ernest Farrar

|  President of the Legislative Council
1952–1966  | Succeeded by

Harry Budd

Party political offices
Preceded by

Walter Evans

|  General Secretary of the Australian Labor Party
(NSW Branch)
1940–1941  | Succeeded by

John Stewart