Charles Wimbledon Thomas (15 April 1862 – 23 May 1948) was a Fijian businessman and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Council three times between 1911 and 1923.

Biography

Thomas was born in

Clarence Clarence may refer to: Places Australia * Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division * Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow * Clarence River (New South Wales) * Clarence Strait (Northern Territory) * City of Clarence, a l ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

to William Isaac Thomas and Kezia Celia Thomas (née Chapman). His father was a lawyer and moved to Fiji to practice in

Levuka Levuka () is a Local government in Fiji, town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau (Fiji), Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division, Fiji, Eastern Division of Fiji. Prior to 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. At the c ...

. Thomas was present at the signing of the Deed of Cession in 1874, which transformed the

Kingdom of Fiji The Kingdom of Fiji, also known as the Kingdom of Viti, was a short-lived monarchy in Fiji. It existed from 1871 to 1874, with Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau as King. History The Kingdom of Fiji was the first unified Fijian state, and it covered a ...

into the

Colony of Fiji The Colony of Fiji was a Crown colony that existed from 1874 to 1970 in the territory of the present-day nation of Fiji. London declined its first opportunity to annex the Kingdom of Fiji in 1852. Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau had offered to cede ...

. He started work as a clerk before moving to Yaqara to manage an estate owned by his father. After being joined by his brother Willie, the two opened butchers shops in Ba and

Lautoka Lautoka () is the second largest Local government in Fiji, city in Fiji. It is on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Ba Province of the Western Division, Fiji, Western Division. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane-growing r ...

. Thomas contested the new Northern constituency in the 1911 general election and was elected to the Legislative Council. In the 1914 elections he ran in the new Western seat, and was re-elected. Although he lost his seat to Reginald Harricks in the 1917 elections, he stood again in the constituency in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

and was returned to the Legislative Council, defeating

John Percy Bayly John Percival Bayly (4 January 1882 – 12 January 1963) was a Fijian businessman, politician and philanthropist. Biography Bayly was born in Levuka in 1882.Stewart Firth & Daryl Tarte (2001) ''20th Century Fiji: People who shaped this nation'', ...

as Harricks did not defend his seat. Thomas was unseated again in the 1923 elections, losing to

Percival William Faddy Percival (, also spelled Perceval, Parzival), alternatively called Peredur (), was one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the tale ''Perceval, the Story of the Gra ...

. He subsequently unsuccessfully contested the seat again in the

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

and 1929 elections, losing to Faddy and Bayly respectively.Ahmed Al
Fiji and the Franchise: A History of Political Representation, 1900–1937
pp317–318 Thomas died at Lautoka Hospital on 23 May 1948 at the age of 86.Death of Mr. C. W. Thomas
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', June 1948, p16

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Charles Wimbledon 1862 births Politicians from Hobart Fijian businesspeople Fijian farmers Members of the Legislative Council of Fiji 1948 deaths Colony of Fiji people