Alfred Carson

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(7 November 1859 – 24 August 1944) was an Australian journalist and social worker.

Biography

Carson was born at Upper Swan in Western Australia to wheelwright George Carson and Charlot, ''née'' Hadley. After attending government schools he began teaching at

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Boys' School as an assistant master when he was eighteen, becoming headmaster of the

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

government school in August 1878. On 5 August 1884 he married Eva Massingham of Dongara. In 1887 he joined the staff of the Victorian Express and was soon the editor. In July 1892 he was appointed inaugural editor of the ''Geraldton and Murchison Telegraph''. In January 1896 he worked for ''

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

'', eventually becoming associate editor. In 1912 he became editor of the '' Western Mail'' and in 1917 conducted the ''West Australians case in the

Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration was an Australian court that operated from 1904 to 1956 with jurisdiction to hear and arbitrate interstate industrial disputes, and to make awards. It also had the judicial functions of i ...

case that determined the first journalists' award. He also travelled to the Western Front and the United Kingdom in 1918 as Western Australia's press representative. Carson ran for parliament at the 1922 federal election, unsuccessfully contesting

as one of four endorsed

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

s. He returned to journalism; he retired from 1938 until he resumed work in 1941 as a result of staff shortages caused by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Carson also had an active career in social work, founding the Infant Health Association and serving as president of the Silver Chain District Nursing Association and chairman of the Bush Nursing Society (1923–44). In 1941 he was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. He died in 1944.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Alfred 1859 births 1944 deaths Australian journalists Australian male journalists Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian newspaper editors Colony of Western Australia people