Biographical entry Watson, John Christian (Chris) (1867 - 1941)
- Born
- 9 April 1867
Valparaiso, Chile - Died
- 18 November 1941
- Occupation
- Trade Union - Official, Politician - State - NSW (MLA or MLC) and Politician - Federal
Summary
Born in Valparaiso, Chile in 1867, John Watson arrived in Sydney, via New Zealand, in 1886. Watson was elected president of the Sydney Trades & Labor Council in 1893 and became President of the Australian Labor Federation in 1894. By April 1901, Watson had became the first leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party and in April 1904 he was appointed Prime Minister and Treasurer when the Deakin government resigned. This was the first national labour government anywhere in the world. He was to hold this office until August that year. Watson resigned the Labor leadership in 1907 and retired from politics in 1910. He sided with the conscriptionists during the First World War and was expelled from the Labor Party as a result. John Watson died in 1941.
Related entries
Union Membership(s)
Archival resources
National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection
Published resources
Book Sections
- Nairn, Bede, 'John Christian Watson', in Ritchie, John (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 12, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1990, pp. 400-405. Details
Edited Books
- Grattan, Michelle (ed.), Australian Prime Ministers, New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, Australia, 2001, 512 pp. Details
Online Resources
- 'Primary description of person CP 711 - The Hon John Christian Watson', in RecordSearch, National Archives of Australia, http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/SearchOld.asp?Number=CP+711. Details
- 'Chris Watson', in Australia's Prime Ministers, National Archives of Australia, http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/watson/. Details
- Prime Ministers of Australia: John Watson, National Museum of Australia, 2001, http://www.nma.gov.au/education/school_resources/websites_and_interactives/primeministers/john_watson/. Details
Ross G. Elford
Created: 1 October 2001, Last modified: 29 November 2002