Andrew Fisher

Andrew Fisher was born on 29 August 1856 in Crosshouse, Ayrshire, Scotland. He was one of seven children of Robert Fisher and Jane Garvin. His father was a coalminer who, with nine other men, established a cooperative store in 1863. After some primary schooling, Fisher educated himself through reading many books in the library of the cooperative his father helped to establish. He also attended night school. Fisher began working at the age of 10 in the Crosshouse coalmines. At 17 he was elected secretary of the local branch of the Ayrshire Miners' Union. He migrated to Queensland with his younger brother in 1885, where he worked in various coal and gold mines and obtained his engine driver's certificate. He eventually settled at Gympie, where in 1891 he became the president of the Amalgamated Miners' Association and of the Workers' Political Organisation, which was the local branch of the Labor Party. Fisher entered the Queensland Legislative Assembly after election as Labor candidate for the seat of Gympie in April 1893. He lost the seat in March 1896 but regained it in March 1899 and later that year briefly was a minister in the government of Anderson Dawson (the world's first Labor government). Fisher married Margaret Irvine in 1901, and they had six children. Fisher was elected as Labor candidate for the seat of Wide Bay, Queensland, at the first federal general election on 29 March 1901. He retained the seat through the next five general elections until resigning from Parliament. Fisher successfully moved an amendment to Alfred Deakin's Conciliation and Arbitration Bill in April 1904 to include state employees under the legislation. He served as Minister for Trade and Customs from April to August 1904 in Chris Watson's minority Labor government (the first federal Labor government). Labor caucus elected Fisher as Deputy Leader of the parliamentary Labor Party in August 1905. He retained this position until October 1907 and was then elected to replace Watson as Leader. Fisher became Prime Minister on 13 November 1908 when Deakin's Protectionist government resigned and Fisher was commissioned to form a government. He held office three times: from 1903 to 1904, from 1905 to 1908 and from 1909 to 1910. He led the Protectionist Party until 1909, when he merged it with the Free Traders to form the Liberal Party. He formed coalitions with the Australian Labor Party in his first two terms and with the conservatives in his third term. Fisher's governments introduced many progressive reforms, such as tariff protection, old age pensions, maternity allowances, conciliation and arbitration, defence expansion and preferential voting. He also supported the White Australia policy, compulsory voting and women's suffrage. He was a strong supporter of the British Empire and its involvement in World War I. He was an eloquent speaker and a prolific writer, publishing several books on politics, religion and spiritualism. Fisher retired from politics in 1913 due to ill health. He suffered from a degenerative neurological condition that affected his memory and speech. He died on 22 October 1928 at his home in Hampstead, London, aged 66. He was given a state funeral and buried at Hampstead Cemetery. He is widely regarded as one of Australia's most influential prime ministers and one of the architects of the Australian nation.