David Gledson
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The Honourable David Gledson |
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| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Ipswich |
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In office 22 May 1915 – 11 May 1929 |
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| Preceded by | James Blair |
| Succeeded by | James Walker |
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In office 11 Jun 1932 – 14 May 1949 |
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| Preceded by | James Walker |
| Succeeded by | Ivor Marsden |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Alexander Gledson 1877 Saintfield, County Down, Ireland |
| Died | 14 May 1949 (aged 71 or 72) Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
| Resting place | Ipswich General Cemetery |
| Nationality | Irish Australian |
| Political party | ALP |
| Spouse(s) | Susannah Jane Bird (m.1904 d.1952) |
| Occupation | Accountant |
| Religion | Methodist |
David Alexander "Dave" Gledson (1877 – 14 May 1949) was an accountant and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Gledson was born at Saintfield, County Down, Ireland, to William Gledson, a miner, and his wife Mary (née Magill). His family arrived in Queensland in 1885 and he was educated at Bundamba State School and the Ipswich Technical College. Later in life he attended night classes to qualify as an accountant.
He went to work at the Bundamba coal mines, he was inspired by the union ideals of Gilbert Casey. Dismissed and blacklisted he next worked at the Tivoli pits. After a strike in 1905, he helped to found the Queensland Colliery Employees' Union. In 1908 he was employed full-time by the union as its secretary. His time as secretary saw a period of expansion and consolidation and in 1910 he became a district check-inspector on a programme to improve conditions in Queensland mines. Gledson represented Queensland at the 1915 meeting in Sydney which brought the Australasian Coal and Shale Employees' Federation into being.
On the 24th February 1904 he married Susannah Jane Bird (died 1952) at Bundamba and they had one son and two daughters. Gledson died in May 1949 after suffering a stroke. He was accorded a state funeral which proceeded from the Bundamba Methodist Church to the Ipswich General Cemetery.
After being beaten James Clarke Cribb by 21 votes at the 1908 Queensland state election and 233 votes a year later for the seat of Bundamba, Gledson turned to the seat of Ipswich at the 1915 Queensland state election. His win over the sitting member, James Blair was one of the highlights for the Labor Party as it won Government in its own right for the first time. He held Ipswich until Labor's defeat in 1929, but won the seat back as Labor was returned to power in 1932. This time he remained the member up until his death in 1949.
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