James Gibbon (1819–1888) was a land speculator and politician in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. He was a

Member of the Queensland Legislative Council Following are lists of members of the Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May ...

Early life

James Gibbon was born in 1819 in

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, England. He immigrated to Victoria in 1852 and became a merchant. In 1860 he came to Brisbane and speculated in urban property. He amassed considerable land, including a large estate at Teneriffe land on which the heritage-listed Elder Smith Woolstore and Roseville house, were built. His own home

Teneriffe House Teneriffe House is a heritage-listed villa at 37 Teneriffe Drive, Teneriffe, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William Henry Ellerker and built in 1865. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 14 May 1993 ...

on the top of hill is also now heritage-listed. He is said to be the person who named the area ''Teneriffe'' after

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

in the Canary Islands. He was a member of the congregation of the Holy Trinity Church there.

Politics

Gibbon was a candidate for the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

in East Moreton in the inaugural 1860 colonial election, but was not successful. James Gibbon was appointed to the

Queensland Legislative Council The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which to ...

on 22 February 1866. He held the appointment until 19 February 1887 when his seat was declared vacant as he had not attended Parliament for some years, questions about his non-attendance having been raised as early as 1885.

Later life

In about 1885, Gibbon returned to England, where he died in April 1888.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbon, James Members of the Queensland Legislative Council 1819 births 1888 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians