Alison Mary Houston Patrick (1921–2009) was an Australian historian and scholar of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. In 1977 she was the first woman elected head of the Department of History at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

Early life and education

Alison Mary Houston Hamer was born on 24 March 1921 in Kew, Victoria. She was the third child and only daughter of former nurse Nancy (née McLuckie) and solicitor Hubert Hamer. Her brothers included

Sir Rupert Hamer Sir Rupert James Hamer, (29 July 1916 – 23 March 2004), generally known until he was knighted in 1982 as Dick Hamer, was an Australian Liberal Party politician who served as the 39th Premier of Victoria from 1972 to 1981. Early years Hamer ...

, Premier of Victoria and

David Hamer David John Hamer (5 September 1923 – 14 January 2002) was an Australian politician and Royal Australian Navy officer. Early life and naval career Born in Melbourne, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the Royal Australian ...

, federal Liberal politician. She was educated at St Catherine's School in Toorak and then graduated with a BA from the

in 1942 and was awarded the Dwight Prize. Her PhD thesis was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1972.

Career

Patrick's career as an academic at the University of Melbourne began in 1946 when she was employed in a part-time role. In 1963 she was appointed lecturer, progressing to reader. In 1977 she was the first woman to be elected head of the Department of History at the University of Melbourne. Not long before her retirement in 1986, Patrick accepted the role of head of the Italian Department at the university. She was elected Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Austra ...

Selected works

Personal

Patrick married James Finlay Patrick in 1944. She died in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, Victoria on 16 March 2009 and was survived by three of her four children and their families. Her husband predeceased her on 8 November 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Alison 1921 births 2009 deaths University of Melbourne alumni University of Melbourne faculty Australian women historians Historians of the French Revolution Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Writers from Melbourne People from Kew, Victoria Academics from Melbourne People educated at St Catherine's School, Melbourne