Thomas Wilson (Queensland politician) explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Thomas Wilson
Order:36th
Office:Mayor of Brisbane
Term Start:1909
Term End:1909
Predecessor:Charles Buchanan
Successor:John Hetherington
Term Start1:1925
Term End1:1925
Predecessor1:Maurice Barry
Successor1:William Jolly
Constituency Am2:Fortitude Valley
Assembly2:Queensland Legislative
Term Start2:1 April 1916
Term End2:19 May 1933
Predecessor2:David Bowman
Successor2:Samuel Brassington
Birth Date:5 May 1865
Birth Place:Riddells Creek, Victoria, Australia
Death Place:Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Restingplace:Toowong Cemetery
Birthname:Thomas Wilson
Nationality:Australian
Party:Labor
Spouse:Emma Brown (m.1890 d.1952)
Occupation:Miner

Thomas Wilson (5 May 1865 – 19 May 1933) was an Australian miner and a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.[1] He was also Mayor of Brisbane in 1909 and 1925.

Biography

Wilson was born in Riddells Creek, Victoria, to parents James Wilson and his wife Mary (née McLean). He was educated in Riddells Creek. As a young man, he left home to work in the primary industries and later as a shearer in the Riverina district. He then worked at the Cobar copper mine[1] and came to Queensland in 1884[2] where he invested in mining and pastoral pursuits.[1]

In 1890 he married Emma Brown[1] (died 1952)[3] in Rockhampton and together had two sons and two daughters. He was a keen sportsman and a member of the Tattersalls Club.[1] Wilson died in office in May 1933, and was accorded a state funeral which proceeded from his New Farm residence to the Toowong Cemetery.[2] [4]

Public career

Wilson was associated with the Labour Party from its very early days of existence. He was an alderman on the Brisbane City Council, winning the ward of Merthyr in 1905 and holding it for the next sixteen years. During that time he was a member of the Brisbane Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board. In 1909 he was Mayor of Brisbane and held the distinction of welcoming Lord Kitchener when he visited Brisbane on New Year's Day, 1910. In 1925 he was once again Mayor for a short period.[2]

Following the death of David Bowman in 1916, Wilson won the seat of Fortitude Valley in the Queensland Legislative Assembly.[5] He held the seat until his death in 1933, and was Minister for Public Instruction from 1925 until 1929.[1] As minister he initiated many reforms for the welfare of school children and a lasting tribute to his name was the Wilson Ophthalmic School at Windsor.[2] The Wilson Hospital was a specialised facility where eye diseases in children from country Queensland could be diagnosed and treated.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Former Members. Parliament of Queensland. 2015. 1 April 2016.
  2. News: MR. T. WILSON DEAD . . 23,495 . Queensland, Australia . 20 May 1933 . 2 April 2016 . 12 . National Library of Australia.
  3. https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/family-history-research/ Family history research
  4. https://graves.brisbane.qld.gov.au/ Deceased Search
  5. News: VALLEY BY-ELECTION. . . 18,163 . Queensland, Australia . 3 April 1916 . 2 April 2016 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
  6. http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/AUS-QLD/2007-04/1176354632 AUS-QLD-L Archives