Born in London, and relocated to Australia as a teenager, he worked in farming and on the gold fields.

He helped secure the site of the Addington Raceway and was responsible for greatly extending the area.

[2] He arrived in Canterbury in 1865 to join his brother Alfred, and they had a business for the short time to carry goods over the Port Hills (this was just prior to the opening of the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel).

[3] In 1871[3] or 1876[4](sources differ), the brothers first purchased a majority shareholding in the Crown Brewery Company and eventually obtained the remaining shares, with Alfred being the most shrewd business person of the trio.

[8] As a Freemason, Louisson held office for many years as District Grand Master for Canterbury under the Scottish Constitution.

[19] Louisson entered into local politics as a member of the Christchurch City Council (CCC), in which he served for six years, and was mayor from 1887 to 1889, and again from 1897 to 1899.

On 4 September of that year, Louisson was the only candidate nominated in the South-west Ward, and he was thus declared elected.

[24] He first stood for the mayoralty in 1886, after a public request made by the other eleven councillors (including Samuel Manning, Samuel Paull Andrews, William Prudhoe and Charles Gray), nine ex mayors (John Ollivier, Henry Sawtell, Fred Hobbs, Henry Thomson, William Wilson, Charles Hulbert, James Gapes, John Anderson and George Ruddenklau) and 13 ex councillors (including Daniel Reese).

[25] It was the most keenly contested mayoral election thus far, and Louisson was narrowly beaten by the incumbent, Aaron Ayers, with 636 to 631 votes.

[26] Ayers retired at the end of his second term of mayoralty a year later, and Louisson decided to stand again.

[30] At the end of the term, Louisson planned to retire, as he believed that the mayoralty should change every year.

[32] Louisson retired at the end of his second year, and Samuel Manning, as the only contender, was declared mayor elect on 21 November 1889[33] and installed in December 1889.

Whilst he had wanted some other leading citizen to take on the role as mayor, he acceded to the request and his name was put forward.

[39] Louisson was succeeded by William Reece, who was elected unopposed on 20 November 1899[40] and installed as mayor on 20 December 1899.

Louisson's services as mayor were recognised on two occasions by the citizens of Christchurch, who presented him in 1889 with a fine silver epergne, and again in 1899, on his retirement from the mayoralty, with an address and a silver tea service, and on each occasion the mayoress was presented with a diamond bracelet and star.

Louisson, who towards the end of his life was living in Heaton Street in the suburb of Strowan, died on 19 April 1924.