The Hon Edward Hanson
Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
In office 8 August 1939 – 31 July 1944
Preceded by	George Pollock
Succeeded by	Samuel Brassington
Constituency	Buranda
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Buranda
In office 16 August 1924 – 3 May 1947
Preceded by	John Huxham
Succeeded by	Richard Brown
Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
In office 19 February 1920 – 23 March 1922
Personal details
Born	Edward Joseph Hanson (1878-09-05)5 September 1878 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died	26 October 1950(1950-10-26) (aged 72) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Labor
Spouse	Elizabeth McKay (m.1903 d.1969)
Occupation	Plumber, Trade union secretary

Edward Joseph Hanson (5 September 1878 – 26 October 1950)^[1] was a plumber, union organiser and politician in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Council and the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

Edward Joseph Hanson was born in Woolloongabba, Brisbane on 5 September 1878, the son of John Hanson and his wife Mary Ann (née Castree).^[2][3]

He served in the Second Boer War 1899–1901.^[4]

On 19 August, Edward, known as Ted, was married to Elizabeth McKay; they had eight children. He was also a founding member of the PGEUA (Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees Union of Australia) Qld branch in 1904. He was later its first full-time Secretary/Organiser (1915–1924). From 1916 to 1922 he was a member of the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board.^[2]

Hanson was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council from 1920 to 1922.^[5] After the abolition of the council, he represented the Queensland state electorate of Buranda from 1924 to 1947, and was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 8 August 1939 until 31 July 1944.^[6] He was the first Speaker of the QLD Parliament to not wear a wig. His daughter Norma, related to her daughter, Caroline Mann-Smith, that Ted said that "I am not wearing a sheep skin on my head". (Norma was aged 19 in 1939). No doubt his reasons were not only this – they were likely to do with disagreement with what he saw as old and unnecessary traditions. (written by Caroline Mann-Smith, as quoted earlier) He was a supporter of the Buranda State Schools Committee and the president of the committee. He was a supporter of the Kent Street Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution and the chairman of its committee.^[7]

Hanson died on 26 October 1950. He was accorded a State funeral. His funeral cortege was led by the Queensland Mounted Police and was more than a mile long. It travelled along Victoria Bridge, Queen Street and Story Bridge and then to Mount Thompson Crematorium where he was cremated.^[2][8]

• Members of the Queensland Legislative Council, 1917–1922
• Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1923–1926; 1926–1929; 1929–1932; 1932–1935; 1935–1938; 1938–1941; 1941–1944; 1944–1947

• Letters to Ted and family sources
• Various letters in the Queensland State Archives written by Ted Hanson in those positions