Thomas Flood Plunkett

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(19 December 1878 – 24 December 1957) was a

dairy farmer Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history that ...

and member of 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 ...

Biography

Plunkett was born at

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

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 , established_ ...

, to parents

Thomas Plunkett Thomas Plunkett (1841 - March 10, 1885) was a color bearer during the American Civil War. He carried the banner of the 21st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Fredericksburg when a cannon blast took away both of his arms a ...

and his wife Maria (née Ryan). He went to Tamborine and Beaudesert State Schools before attending

St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace , motto_translation = To serve God is to be wise , address = 285 Gregory Terrace , city = Brisbane , state = Queensland , postcode = 4000 , country = Australia , ...

at Spring Hill, Brisbane. He was a good sportsman, and represented the district in cricket and football.Plunkett, Thomas Flood (1877–1957)
—

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

. Retrieved 23 March. Around 1898 he moved to a family property on the Albert River, at

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

, near Beaudesert and it into one of the leading dairy farms in the area. He was a founding director of the Logan & Albert Co-operative Dairy Co. Ltd in 1904 and later chairman of the co-operative for over forty years. He was a member and director of many dairy based groups at local, state, and national levels. Plunkett went on several trips to Europe and New Zealand to investigate the latest marketing techniques and the information he bought back was of great benefit to the industry across the nation. He was a made a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and in 1957 appointed a

for his contributions to the dairy industry. On 12 October 1915 he married Margaret Ellen Higgins (died 1983)Family history research
— Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 23 February 2016. at St Mary's Catholic Church, Beaudesert and together had 3 sons and two daughters. He died in Brisbane in December 1957 and was buried at Gleneagle Catholic Cemetery, Beaudesert.Gleneagle Beaudesert name index
— http://www.chapelhill.homeip.net//index.htm Retrieved 23 March 2016.

Political career

Plunkett was a member of the

Beaudesert Shire Council The Shire of Beaudesert was a local government area located in South East Queensland, Australia, stretching from the New South Wales border, along the Gold Coast hinterland to the urban fringes of the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich. The Shire c ...

from 1914 until 1932 including its chairman in 1915–1916. He then followed in his father's footsteps and in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

won the seat of

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

in the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the CPNP. When Albert was abolished for the 1950 state election Plunkett, by now representing the Country Party, moved to the new seat of

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

and held the seat until his retirement from politics in 1957. His retirement was short as he died less than five months later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plunkett, Thomas Flood Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1878 births 1957 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland