John Billson

John William Billson (10 January 1862 – 23 December 1924) was a British-born Australian politician.

The Honourable John Billson
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Fitzroy
In office 1 November 1900 – 23 December 1924
Preceded by	Albert Tucker
Succeeded by	Maurice Blackburn
Personal details
Born	John William Billson (1862-01-10)10 January 1862 Leicester, Leicestershire, England
Died	23 December 1924(1924-12-23) (aged 62) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Labor Party
Spouse(s)	Sarah Jane Sarson Coverley (1882-1924; his death)
Occupation	Bootmaker and union official

He was born in Leicester to shoemaker William Daniel Billson and Betsy Sharp. A bootmaker, he married Sarah Jane Sarson Coverley on 14 October 1882; they had three children. He migrated to Australia in 1886 and became president of the Bootmakers' Union in 1893. His unionism made finding work difficult; he went briefly to Sydney, before returning to Victoria to become general secretary of the union and a member of the Eight Hours Committee. From 1898 to 1900 he served on Richmond City Council. In 1900 he won the seat of Fitzroy in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party. He was a delegate to the federal Labor conferences in 1905 and 1915, and also served as president of the Trades Hall Council from 1901 to 1902. In December 1913 he briefly served as Minister of Railways. During World War I he was a passionate opponent of conscription, but was a vigorous recruiter for the war effort. He was deputy leader of the Labor Party from 1913 until his death in Melbourne in 1924.[1]