Who's Who in Australia

Who's Who in Australia (WWIA) is an Australian biographical dictionary first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It is used as a resource for summary information on prominent Australians.[1][2] WWIA is part of a series of reference works that includes Who's Who of Australian Women and Who's Who in Business in Australia.[3]

History

Who's Who in Australia began as the vision of South Australian sub-editor Fred Johns.[4] Following his arrival in Australia in 1884, Johns compiled a volume of biographies of notable living compatriots. First published in 1906, Johns's Notable Australians contained nearly 1,100 entries. Subsequent editions were published in 1908, 1912, 1913, 1914 and 1922, before the book first appeared as Who's Who in Australia in 1927.

Fred Johns died in December 1932, bequeathing £1,500 to the University of Adelaide to found a scholarship in biography.[5]

From 2003, the directory was published online by Crown Content Pty Ltd[6] and later by ConnectWeb,[7] a subsidiary of AAP which became the company Mediality.The company announced in 2022 that, after 122 years, it would cease the printed edition that year.[8]

Criteria for inclusion
  • Who's Who in Australia lists persons assessed by the editors as having contributed "to Australian life on a national or international level".
  • Who's Who of Australian Women lists women with significant achievements in business, government, the professions, arts, sport, etc.
  • Who's Who in Business in Australia lists persons assessed as significant business leaders.

Cumulative editions

The National Library of Australia holds copies and reviews of Fred Johns's publications (1906–1922),[9] successors of 1927–28, 1933–34, 1935, 1938, 1941, 1944, 1947, 1950 and 1955, and subsequent series which were triennial (1959–1988) and annual (1991–present).[10]

References
  1. Fiona Dixon. "News: Who's Who in Australia". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. Mark Peel and Janet McCalman, Who Went Where in Who's Who 1988: The Schooling of the Australian Elite, Melbourne University History Research Series Number 1, 1992
  3. "The Who's Who Series", at Connect.web
  4. Edgar, Suzanne (1983). "Johns, Frederick (Fred) (1868–1932)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538.
  5. "Fred Johns Scholarship". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. 23 November 1933. p. 16. Retrieved 26 July 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Who's Who in Australia (electronic resource) at National Library of Australia
  7. ConnectWeb home page
  8. Gideon Haigh (23 July 2022). "Who's Who in Australia latest victim of our digital times". The Weekend Australian. p. 6.
  9. "Johns, Fred, 1868–1932", holdings at National Library of Australia
  10. "Who's Who in Australia, National Library of Australia
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