Lilian Sophia Locke (later Lilian Sophia Burns; 6 June 1869 – 1 July 1950) was an Australian

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

, political campaigner and

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

. She has been described as one of the earliest women leaders of the labour movement in Australia.

Early life

Her father was the Rev. William Locke, an Anglican clergyman in Victoria, and her grandfather English reformer William Locke. She was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, one of ten girls; one of her sisters was the author Sumner Locke. She was a friend of

Vida Goldstein Vida Jane Mary Goldstein (pron. ) (13 April 186915 August 1949) was an Women's suffrage in Australia, Australian suffragist and social reformer. She was one of four female candidates at the 1903 Australian federal election, 1903 federal election ...

, having worked with her since the suffrage campaigns of the 1890s. She married

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...

, then a Tasmanian state Labor politician, in

on 6 January 1906.

Career

She was variously president of the New South Wales Association of Women Workers, the "only lady member of the Melbourne Trades Hall Council", lady organiser for the Political Labor Council, and honorary secretary of the United Council for State Suffrage. In 1905, she was the first woman delegate to a Labor Party interstate conference, when she was accredited for Tasmania at the Commonwealth Political Labor Conference. She regularly travelled Australia as an organiser for the Labor Party between the start of World War I and 1940. Her skills were widely praised in the labor press: the ''Brisbane Worker'' labelled her a "brilliant organiser and propagandist", the ''Daily Standard'' in Brisbane described her as "one of the ablest women Labor platform exponents in the Commonwealth", while the ''Worker'' in New South Wales stated that "a great deal of the effectiveness of Mr. Burns' political activity must be credited to the splendid help accorded him by his wife, Lilian Locke Burns". She was often described as being well-received and speaking to large audiences. One visit to South Australia was credited with the foundation of the Women Employees' Mutual Association in that state. She was also a keen writer who published work in magazines, and was reportedly "especially known by her short stories". She was a regular contributor to labour journal ''

The Tocsin ''The Tocsin'' (often referred to only as ''Tocsin'') was an Australian socialist newspaper, published from 1897 to 1906. It was co-founded by several prominent political figures, including Edward Findley, John Percy Jones and Bernard O'Dowd. ...

''.

Recognition

A 1988 book, ''Silk and Calico: Class, Gender and the Vote'', by Betty Searle, explored the first wave of the feminist movement in Australia through the lives of Locke, Goldstein and

Rose Scott Rose Scott (8 October 1847 – 20 April 1925) was an Australian women's rights activist who advocated for women's suffrage and universal suffrage in New South Wales at the turn-of-the twentieth century. She founded the Women's Political Educati ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Locke, Lilian Sophia 1869 births 1950 deaths Australian suffragists Australian trade unionists Colony of New South Wales people Australian women trade unionists Australian women activists 20th-century Australian women