Alison Violet Burton (3 November 1921 – 9 June 2014) was a left-handed Australian tennis player. She and

Joyce Wood Joyce Beryl Wood was an Australian tennis player. She and Alison Burton won the girls' doubles competition at the Australian Championships (now the Australian Open) in 1938, 1939 and 1940. Wood also won the girls' single competition at the Austr ...

won the girls' doubles competition at the Australian Championships (now the

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

) in 1938, 1939 and 1940.

Biography

Burton was born and grew up in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. She was educated at

Huntingtower School Huntingtower may refer to: *Huntingtower, a part of the village of Huntingtower and Ruthvenfield, near Perth, Scotland *Huntingtower Castle Huntingtower Castle, once known as Ruthven Castle or the Place of Ruthven, is located near the village of ...

and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, being awarded a tennis blue in 1941. As a schoolgirl, Burton represented the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in the 1938 and 1939 Wilson Cup matches. In 1938 and 1939 she also won the Victorian junior championship and was runner-up for the Australian title. In 1952, she partnered with

Mary Bevis Hawton Mary Renetta Hawton (née Bevis; 4 September 1924 – 18 January 1981) was a tennis player from Australia. Her career ranged from the 1940s to the 1950s. Hawton won the women's doubles title at the Australian Championships five times. In 1958 ...

and reached the finals of the women's doubles at the Australian Championships.

Personal life

On 17 September 1946, Burton married fellow Australian tennis player, Robert (Bob) Baker at Lincoln College Chapel, Oxford, England. They later returned to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Baker's home state, and lived in Hobart. Their daughter, Barbara Baker, became a judge of the Federal Circuit Court, and in 2021 was appointed as the 29th

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the Monarch of Australia, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the ...

. Burton died in South Hobart in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Alison Australian female tennis players 1921 births 2014 deaths Tennis players from Melbourne University of Melbourne alumni Sportswomen from Victoria (state)