Guide to the Papers of Ralph and Dorothy Gibson, 1912-1989

Summary

Collection number:

MS 7844

Creator:

Ralph and Dorothy Gibson

Extent:

1.65 metres and (7 ms boxes + 1 phase box)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Ralph and Dorothy Gibson, National Library of Australia, MS 7844, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Part available for research; part not available for research until 2049. Not for loan.

Background

Biographical Note:

Dorothy Gibson (nee Alexander) was born in 1899, the daughter of a businessman. She graduated from the University of Melbourne and spent time teaching in Cambridge and Moscow. On her return to Australia in the 1930s she joined the Communist Party of Australia and married Ralph Gibson.

Ralph Gibson (1906-1989) was born in England, and was the son of a Professor of Philosophy who later taught at Melbourne University. In 1932 Ralph gave up his academic career to work full time for the Communist Party.

After their marriage Ralph and Dorothy devoted the rest of their lives to the CPA, remaining loyal to it through all its splits and upheavals. They were also active in the peace movement through all this time. Ralph wrote a number of books and pamphlets on communism and the couple visited the Soviet Union on a number of occasions. In the 1940s Dorothy organised the Australia-Soviet Friendship League. After Dorothy's death in 1978 Ralph wrote One woman's life: a memoir of Dorothy Gibson, published in 1980.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

These papers were acquired by the National Library between 1983 and 1989.

Indexed terms

Names:

Ralph and Dorothy Gibson

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn552272) for the access conditions.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Ralph and Dorothy Gibson, National Library of Australia, MS 7844, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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