Special collections relating to Andrew Fisher in the National Library of Australia


National Library of Australia

Manuscript Section
National Library of Australia
Parkes, ACT 2600
Phone: +61 2 6262 1250
Fax: +61 2 6262 1516
Email: manuscripts@nla.gov.au
URL: http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/

Date completed: 16 October 2002

This guide was created in association with the National Archives of Australia for the Australia's Prime Ministers website.


Scope and Content

The National Library holds the personal papers of Andrew Fisher (MS 2919) as well as a few smaller Fisher manuscript collections which were received from various sources. In addition, there are oral history interviews, a video and other manuscript collections (including microfilm copies) which contain letters or other materials relating to Fisher. In this listing, the main collection is listed first, followed by the other sources in alphabetical order.




Fisher, Andrew. Papers, 1885-1983.
Catalogue Record: MS 2919

This is the main collection of Fisher papers. It includes correspondence on family and official matters (including letters of Deakin and William Morris Hughes, with references to Barton, Watson, Cook and Deakin). It also includes departmental minutes and administrative papers, press cuttings, photographs, personal documents, books and pamphlets, and reminiscences by Fisher's daughter Margaret. Much of this material documents Fisher's political career, especially his terms as Prime Minister and his work as High Commissioner in London


Fisher, Andrew. Letter, 1908.
Catalogue Record: MS 9203

This letter, refering to a visit from a friend, was written to Charlie Bailey and is dated 20 September 1908. There is also a sheet of biographical details about Andrew Fisher.


Fisher, Andrew. Letter, 1910.
Catalogue Record: MS 6416

This is a copy of a letter written by Fisher to Mr Range, thanking him for his help during the election campaign.


Fisher, Andrew. Letter, 1911.
Catalogue Record: MS 526

This collection includes a letter Fisher wrote to Charles McDonald concerning his donation of a 1900 South African one-pound note to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library Committee, and a translation of the note.


Fisher, Andrew. Letter, 1913.
Catalogue Record: MS 8177

This collection contains a letter Fisher wrote to Miss O'Leary thanking her for her support on behalf of the Labor Party in the Wide Bay electorate, Queensland, during the 1913 federal election.


Fisher, Andrew. Letter, 1912.
Catalogue Record: MS 5362

This is a collection of Christmas cards and greetings sent to Fisher while he was Prime Minister.


Australian Labor Party. Records, 1906-1989.
Catalogue Record: MS 6852

These records include Caucus minutes from 1906-1989, which cover some of Fisher's time in Federal Parliament.


Bavin, Sir Thomas. Papers, 1898-1942.
Catalogue Record: MS 560

Sir Thomas Bavin was the private secretary to Barton and Deakin and later became the New South Wales Premier. His papers from 1898 to 1942 include a long series of letters by both men. Bavin's correspondence with Barton and Deakin includes references to Andrew Fisher. Bavin's papers are an important source of information about Australian politics and law between 1900 and 1920, as well as documenting his close association with the first two Prime Ministers of Australia. Bavin's papers are an important source of information about Australian politics and law between 1900 and 1920, as well as documenting his close association with the first two Prime Ministers of Australia.


Boote, Henry Ernest. Papers, 1894-1949.
Catalogue Record: MS 2070

Henry Boote was a journalist who helped found the Gympie Truth and later edited the Australian Worker. He was a trustee of the Australian Workers' Union and was active in the anti-conscription campaign in 1917. Boote's papers include correspondence with Fisher, mostly concerning The Australian Worker from about 1916.


Brown, Thomas. Papers, 1908-1973.
Catalogue Record: MS 2234

Thomas Brown was a member of the first Federal Parliament and one of the federal politicians selected to represent Australia at the coronation of George V and Queen Mary in 1911. This collection includes a card autographed by Andrew Fisher.


Buchanan, Alfred. The Prime Ministers of Australia, 1940.
Catalogue Record: MS 3034

Alfred Buchanan's The Prime Ministers of Australia is an unpublished manuscript comprising biographies of all Prime Ministers from Edmund Barton to Robert Menzies.


Campbell-Jones, Herbert. The Cabinet of Captains: the romance of Australia's first Federal Parliament, c1935.
Catalogue Record: MS 8905

Campbell-Jones was the parliamentary correspondent of the Melbourne Argus. The Cabinet of Captains: The romance of Australia's first Federal Parliament contains his recollections of the Barton Ministry, the establishment of Commonwealth Parliament in 1901 and the first parliamentarians, including detailed accounts of Barton, Deakin, Reid, Cook, Watson, Fisher and Hughes.


Calwell, Arthur. Papers, 1925-1931.
Catalogue Record: MS 1828

These papers include a copy of the extract of Andrew Fisher's birth certificate.


Coghlan, Sir Timothy Augustine. Papers, 1856-1926.
Catalogue Record: MS 6335, Mfm M 807-814

This collection contains material collected by Sir Timothy Coghlan, the New South Wales Statistician and later Agent-General in London. It includes correspondence, letterbooks, personal documents, invitations, programs, publications, newspaper cuttings, photographs and a typescript autobiography. The general correspondence (1878-1926) includes letters to or from Sir Henry Parkes, Alfred Deakin, Sir George Reid, Andrew Fisher and William Morris Hughes. The collection was microfilmed by the Australian Joint Copying Project.


Cook, Sir Joseph. Papers, 1880-1986.
Catalogue Record: MS 2212

This collection is a mixture of papers created by Joseph Cook, and material gathered by Mary Wood, his grand-daughter. It includes notebooks, diaries, passport, photographs, newspaper cuttings, speech notes and photocopied material relating to Cook's political career and his time as High Commissioner in London, with references to Lady Cook, Alfred Deakin, Andrew Fisher and many other political figures.


Crisp, Leslie Finlay. Papers, 1878-1984.
Catalogue Record: MS 5243

Crisp was an academic, biographer of Ben Chifley and author of numerous publications on federation and Australian politics. The bulk of the collection consists of subject files on a wide range of topics compiled mainly from newspaper cuttings and journal articles. There are files on all Australian prime ministers from Sir Edmund Barton to Malcolm Fraser.


Deakin, Alfred. Papers, 1804-1973.
Catalogue Record: MS 1540, Mfm G 28063-28111

The material in this collection of Alfred Deakin's papers, most of which dates from 1880 to 1919, includes diaries, notebooks, cuttings, programs, manuscripts, photographs and correspondence, including letters of Fisher written both as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.


Denman, Thomas, 3rd Baron. Papers, 1900-1914.
Catalogue Record: MS 769

Lord Denman was Governor General (1911-1914) and his papers include correspondence with Andrew Fisher and Joseph Cook (1900-1914).


Fowler, James Mackinnon. Papers, 1899-1940.
Catalogue Record: MS 2280

Fowler was the member of the House of Representatives for Perth from 1901 to 1922. His papers include correspondence with Fisher concerning charges relating to Harry Chinn, Supervising Engineer on the construction of the Trans-Australian Railway.


Fricke, Graham L. Papers relating to Profiles of power : the prime ministers of Australia, [198-]-1990.
Catalogue Record: MS 8248

Judge, Queen's Counsel, lecturer in law and author. The collection comprises notes, manuscript, typescript drafts and the final version (with editorial alterations and directions to the printer) of Profiles of power : the prime ministers of Australia. Ferntree Gully, Vic.: Houghton Mifflin, 1990.


Gardiner, Albert. Papers, 1904-1911.
Catalogue Record: MS 2329

Gardiner was a New South Wales Senator in 1910-1926 and 1928. Among Gardiner's papers are notes of minutes from Australian Labor Party Caucus meetings between 1904 and 1911 of ALP Caucus which include references to Fisher.


Glynn, Patrick McMahon. Papers and diaries, 1918-1926.
Catalogue Record: MS 4653, Mfm G 2542

Among the material in this series are letters, notebooks, newspaper cuttings, photographs, essays, lectures, speeches and a series of detailed diaries (1880-1927) that relate particularly to Glynn's career in South Australian and federal politics (with references to early federal politics and figures), his involvement in the Federation movement, and his long concern with the Murray Waters question. The collection includes 2 letters of Fisher and one from Glynn to Fisher. Mfm G 2542 includes diaries for 1918-1926.


Groom, Sir Littleton Ernest. Papers, c1880-1936.
Catalogue Record: MS 236

Groom was a member of the House of Representatives, 1901-1929 and 1931-1936 and a Minister in several Governments. The Groom papers include 15 letters to and from Fisher. Additional material related to this collection is contained in MS 1135.


Higgins, Henry Bournes. Papers, 1841-1929.
Catalogue Record: MS 1057

A delegate to the Federation Convention, Federal politician and High Court and Arbitration Court judge, Justice Higgins' correspondents include Edmund Barton, Andrew Fisher and William Morris Hughes.


Hughes, William Morris. Papers, 1875-c1979.
Catalogue Record: MS 1538

William ('Billy') Morris Hughes' papers include correspondence, diaries and notebooks, newspaper cuttings, photographs, and family and political papers. Also included is a corrected typescript of the second volume of L. F. Fitzhardinge's biography of Hughes, which contains references to Barton, Deakin, Watson, Reid and Fisher. The political papers include extensive official and personal records dating from his time as Prime Minister from 1915 to 1923.


Kirwan, Sir John Waters. Papers, 1899-1935.
Catalogue Record: MS 277

Kirwan was a Western Australian politician. His papers relate to the Federation movement, especially on the Western Australian goldfields, and early federal politics, including letters from William Morris Hughes, Andrew Fisher, Sir Joseph Cook, Alfred Deakin and Sir George Reid.


Law, Andrew Bonar. Papers, 1905-1923.
Catalogue Record: Mfm M1123

Papers of Andrew Bonar Law, British politician and Prime Minister in 1922-1923, include letters of Alfred Deakin (1907), Sir George Reid (1911-1916), Andrew Fisher (1917-1919) and W.M. Hughes (1916-1922). The papers were microfilmed by the Australian Joint Copying Project from originals held by the House of Lords Record Office.


Lyne, Sir William John. Papers, 1894-1912.
Catalogue Record: MS 5138

Lyne was Premier of New South Wales (1899-1901) and a Federal parliamentarian and Minister. This collection contains photocopies of letters from Fisher.


Mahon, Hugh. Papers, 1880-1936.
Catalogue Record: MS 937

Mahon was a federal politician and a member of the Watson, Fisher and Hughes ministries. His large correspondence includes four letters from Alfred Deakin and 10 from Andrew Fisher. The correspondence generally resulted from Mahon's interest in Catholic and Irish matters; the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco (1915-1916); and Northern Territory, Papua and Norfolk Island affairs.


Marshall, W. F. Letter, 1903.
Catalogue Record: MS 5320

This letter was written by Fisher on Marshall's appointment as chief magistrate of Bundaberg.


Murdoch, Sir Keith Arthur. Papers, 1915-1952.
Catalogue Record: MS 2823

Murdoch was a journalist and newspaper proprietor. His papers include copy of a letter from Murdoch to Fisher (dated 23 September 1915) reporting on the unfortunate Dardanelles expedition.


Munro-Ferguson, Sir Ronald Craufurd. Papers, 1912-1935.
Catalogue Record: MS 696, Mfm G1228-1239

Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson was Governor General from 1914 to 1920. His papers include official dispatches to the King, personal letters to the King's private secretary and private correspondence with Prime Ministers Barton, Fisher, Cook, Reid and Hughes.


O'Malley, King. Papers, 1888-1955.
Catalogue Record: MS 460

King O'Malley was a federal politician and a member of the Fisher Ministries. His papers include correspondence (1932-1954); diaries (1910-1953); notes and drafts of speeches (1910-1916); official papers connected with administration of Department of Home Affairs (1910-1913 and 1915-1916); a ministerial outward letter book (1915-1916); and newspaper cuttings and photographs.


Piddington, Albert Bathurst. Papers, 1912-1922.
Catalogue Record: MS 1095

These papers include correspondence and press cuttings relating to Piddington's appointment and resignation as High Court Judge in 1912 and the 1922 election campaign, with a letter from Piddington to Fisher (1913).


Records relating to the defence of Australia, 1903-1921.
Catalogue Record: MS 2553

These records include a letter from Charles Garland to Fisher, enclosing an article in the Daily Telegraph on the defence of Australia, dated 12 May 1909.


Reid, Margaret. Papers relating to Andrew Fisher, 2001.
Catalogue Record: M5 9536

This collection contains a photograph, inscription and other papers relating to a cairn erected by the people of Crosshouse, Scotland, in memory of Andrew Fisher. It also includes a scroll presented to Senator Margaret Reid, then President of the Senate, from Crosshouse on the Centenary of Federation and an article and Hansard extract relating to the presentation.


Symon, Sir Josiah Henry. Papers, 1863-1934.
Catalogue Record: MS 1736

Sir Josiah Symon was a Federal Convention delegate, Senator and Federal Attorney-General (1904-1905). The papers in this collection cover every phase of Symon's life, including his involvement in the Federal Conventions and the Senate. They also include eight letters to or from Fisher as well as correspondence with a number of other contemporary political figures. =


Wren, Charles William. Letters, 1912.
Catalogue Record: MS 6758

This collection includes photocopies of letters between Wren and Fisher in May 1912 concerning Fisher's invitation to Wren to become first Commonwealth Bank Governor.