Thomas George De Largie d'Alton (8 December 1895 – 7 May 1968) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was born in Warracknabeal in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. In 1931 d'Alton was elected to the

Tasmanian House of Assembly The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. The Assembly has 25 m ...

as a

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

member for Darwin. d'Alton was a minister from 1934 to 1943, including the Minister for Agriculture from December 1939 to November 1943; and he served as the Deputy Premier between 1941 and 1943. In 1943

Herbert Evatt Herbert Vere Evatt, (30 April 1894 – 2 November 1965) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as a judge of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940, Attorney-General and Minister for External Affairs from 1941 to 1949, and l ...

saw a need for a High Commissioner in Wellington to coordinate views (a new post) and chose the "colourful figure" d'Alton, who however chose to retain his seat and salary in the Tasmanian Parliament. Three months after arriving he got into a punch-up with the landlord of the Post Office Hotel, Wellington. Questions from the Opposition in the Federal Parliament asked if he was a worthy reply to boxer

Bob Fitzsimmons Robert James Fitzsimmons (26 May 1863 – 22 October 1917) was a British professional boxer who was the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett (the man who beat John L. Sullivan), ...

the Freckled Wonder who moved to Australia from New Zealand. In 1946 he was the subject of a Royal Commission alleging corruption. He was elected to the

Tasmanian Legislative Council The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, ...

, again representing Labor, for the seat of

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

in 1947, serving until his death in Hobart in 1968.

References

1895 births 1968 deaths Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Tasmania High Commissioners of Australia to New Zealand 20th-century Australian politicians People from Warracknabeal {{Australia-Labor-politician-stub