Louisa Lawson

Louisa Lawson was a publisher, editor, journalist, author, poet, and campaigner for women’s rights. She was a leading figure in the early feminist movement in New South Wales.

Louisa was born on a farm at Guntawang, near Mudgee, New South Wales, on 17 February 1848.

She was the publisher and editor of The Republican (which was re-titled as the Australian Nationalist for its last two issues), which advocated the federation of the Australian colonies as a republic, and which was published from 1887 to 1888.

She then published and edited The Dawn: A Journal for Australian Women, which focused on women’s issues, and which was published from May 1888 to July 1905.

Louisa Lawson wrote under her own name, and as Mrs. P. H. Larsen (Peter Larsen was her husband, who changed his surname to Lawson), as well as using the pseudonyms of “Dora Falconer” and “Mrs Appleby”.

She died in Gladesville, New South Wales, on 12 August 1920.

Selected works by Louisa Lawson:
Works of Louisa Lawson

Articles about Louisa Lawson:
The mother of Henry Lawson [26 September 1922]
Biographical article about Louisa Lawson.
First Australian editress: Henry Lawson’s mother [3 July 1939]
About Louisa Lawson’s life, and her work as a publisher.

Further reading:
Heather Radi, “Lawson, Louisa (1848–1920)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University (accessed 23 October 2012)
“Louisa Lawson”, Wikipedia (accessed 23 October 2012)
Susan Magarey, “Lawson, Louisa ”, The Dictionary of Sydney (accessed 23 October 2012)
“Louisa Lawson – suffragist and business woman”, State Records (NSW Government archives) (accessed 23 October 2012)
“The Republican [microform]” [catalogue entry], National Library of Australia (accessed 23 October 2012) [“Continued by: Australian nationalist”]
“Lawson, Louisa”, AustLit (accessed 23 October 2012)