Andrew Dawson was a miner, newspaper editor and Labor politician. In 1891 he served as Chairman of the Strike Committee, and Vice-President of the Queensland Provincial Council of the Australian Labor Federation. He also helped to form the Charters Towers Republican Association.
After writing articles for The Northern Miner, Dawson served as the first editor of The Eagle (Charters Towers) which he co-owned with John Dunsford until 1900.
In 1893, Dawson was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for Charters Towers. In 1899 he became leader of the Labor party and formed a minority government on 1 December 1899. Although it was defeated only four days later, it was famously said to be the first Labor government in the world.
Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm
