Thomas Barker (25 March 1799 – 12 March 1875) was an Australian politician and an appointed member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1853 and 1856. He was also an elected member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for 1 term from 1856 until 1858.

Early life

Barker was born in London. He was the son of James Barker (who died in 1808) and he was then raised by a guardian. He was educated at home and apprenticed to an engineer, John Dickson . Barker accompanied Dickson when he migrated to Australia in 1813 and with Dickson and his brother, James Barker, he constructed and built a number of steam driven flour mills. He made a substantial fortune in the flour milling business and also constructed cotton and woolen mills. He invested in land in the Goulburn Plains district and also invested in the

Commercial Banking Company of Sydney The Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited, also known as the CBC, or CBC Bank, was a bank based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in 1834, and in 1982 merged with the National Bank of Australasia to form National Australia Bank. Hi ...

and infrastructure projects including the

Sydney Railway Company The Main Suburban railway line is the technical name for the trunk railway line between Redfern railway station and Parramatta railway station in Sydney, Australia, but now generally refers to the section between Redfern and where the Old Main S ...

. He was an early benefactor to Sydney Grammar School and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

Colonial Parliament

Barker was an appointed member of the Legislative Council between 1853 and 1856, prior to the establishment of responsible government. At the 1856 election, the first after the granting of responsible government and creation of the Legislative Assembly, he was elected for the seat of Gloucester and Macquarie with 163 votes (37.73&). He served without distinction in the first responsible parliament and was defeated at the 1858 election with 275 votes (39.29%). He did not stand for further public office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Thomas 1799 births 1875 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council 19th-century Australian politicians