William Kidston
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The Hon William Kidston |
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| 17th Premier of Queensland | |
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In office 19 January 1906 – 19 November 1907 |
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| Preceded by | Arthur Morgan |
| Succeeded by | Robert Philip |
| Constituency | Rockhampton |
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In office 18 February 1908 – 7 February 1911 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Philp |
| Succeeded by | Digby Denham |
| Constituency | Rockhampton |
| 19th Treasurer of Queensland | |
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In office 1 December 1899 – 7 December 1899 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Philp |
| Succeeded by | Robert Philp |
| Constituency | Rockhampton |
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In office 17 September 1903 – 19 November 1907 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Bridson Cribb |
| Succeeded by | Robert Philp |
| Constituency | Rockhampton |
| Leader of the Opposition of Queensland | |
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In office 19 November 1907 – 15 February 1908 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Philp |
| Succeeded by | Robert Philp |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Rockhampton |
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In office 4 April 1896 – 7 February 1911 Serving with George Curtis, Kenneth Grant |
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| Preceded by | Archibald Archer |
| Succeeded by | John Adamson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Kidston 17 August 1849 Falkirk, Scotland, UK |
| Died | 25 October 1919 (aged 70) Greenslopes, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | South Rockhampton Cemetery |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Political party | Ministerialist |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour, Opposition |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Johnston Scott (m.1875 d.1910) |
| Occupation | Bookseller |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
William Kidston (17 August 1849 – 25 October 1919) was an Australian politician and Premier of Queensland, from January 1906 to November 1907 and again from February 1908 to February 1911.
William Kidston was born in Falkirk, Scotland on 17 August 1849, the son of an ironworker. He became an apprentice ironmoulder at age 13. He married Margaret Scott in 1874. Dissatisfied with ironmoulding, he emigrated to New South Wales with his family in 1882, and moved again to Queensland, arriving in Rockhampton at 1883.
In Rockhampton, Kidston started a new career as a bookseller. During the early 1890s, growing industrial unrest pitted the newly formed trade union movement against the conservative colonial government led by Thomas McIlwraith in a series of strikes. A major strike by shearers in 1891 led to the government deploying military forces. Kidston, a member of the local militia, was in strong support of the strikers, and received a court martial when he refused enrolment as a special constable in the anti-strike force.
The unionists' defeat at the hands of the government prompted the labour movement to aim for political representation in the Parliament of Queensland. The Australian Labour Federation (ALF) sought to repeal the antiquated anti-striking laws that had been used against the strikers. Kidston wrote a poem, entitled The Ballot is the Thing, in support of the unionists' goals. Kidston became the main ALF figure in Rockhampton and campaigned for electoral reform – abolition of plural voting, and extension of the franchise. In addition to the cause of the labour movement, Kidston also supported the separatist organisations in Rockhampton that sought to make Central Queensland a separate colony. Kidston stood unsuccessfully as a separatist candidate for Rockhampton in 1893. In the elections of 1896 he was elected as an endorsed Labor candidate.
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