Henry Ernest Boote (1865 – 1949) was an Australian editor, journalist,

propagandist Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

, poet, and fiction writer. Wrote ‘A Fool’s Talk’ (1915)

Biography

Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England, 20 May 1865, Boote began working as an apprentice to a printer at the age of ten before emigrating to Australia in 1889. That same year he married Mary Jane Paingdestre, and began working in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

as a compositor. He was an inspired

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

and became involved in the Queensland labour movement, writing articles and propagandist from a socialist slant. In 1894, the Australian Labour Federation posted Boote to

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

as editor of the ''Bundaberg Guardian''. In 1896 he moved to

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

, where he established a paper called ''The Gympie Truth'', and in 1902 became editor of ''The Worker'' in Brisbane. He was also the founding editor of ''The Queensland Worker'' (1902–11), and ''The Australian Worker'' (1914–43) Boote was a friend and associate of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Andrew Fisher Andrew Fisher (29 August 186222 October 1928) was an Australian politician who served three terms as prime minister of Australia – from 1908 to 1909, from 1910 to 1913, and from 1914 to 1915. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party ...

James Scullin James Henry Scullin (18 September 1876 – 28 January 1953) was an Australian Labor Party politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Scullin led Labor to government at the 1929 Australian federal election. He was the first Catho ...

, and

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He led the country for the majority of World War II, including all but the last few ...

. Boote died in

Rose Bay, New South Wales Rose Bay is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rose Bay is located seven kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Council (east of Old S ...

on 14 August 1949.

Works

Prose

*''Set the Twelve Men Free'', Sydney: New South Wales Labor Council, 1918 *''The land of Wherisit: a cycle of tales that begins at the end and ends at the beginning; told by a graduate of All Fools' College for the entertainment of his kind'', Sydney : The Judd Publishing Co., 1919 *''The case of Grant: fifteen years for fifteen words'', Sydney: Social Democratic League, (date?) *''The Human Ladder: an Australian story of our own time'', Sydney: Judd Publishing, 1920 *''Tea with the Devil and Other Diversions'', 1928

Poetry

*''As I Went By: Poems'', Sydney: Worker Trustees, 1933 *''The siren city'', Sydney, 1935 *''I look forth'', Sydney: Worker Trustees, 1937 *''May Day: a commemoration poem written for the great May day demonstration in Sydney, 1938''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boote, Henry Ernest Trade unionists from Queensland Australian editors Australian journalists Australian poets People from Gympie 1865 births 1949 deaths 20th-century Australian writers British emigrants to Australia The Australian Worker