Thomas William Marwick (29 April 1895 – 3 April 1960) was an Australian farmer and politician. He was a member of the Country Party and served both as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

(1936–1937) and as a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for the seat of

Swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

(1940–1943).

Early life

Marwick was born on 29 April 1895 in

York, Western Australia York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated on the Avon River, east of Perth in the Wheatbelt, on Ballardong Nyoongar land,King, A and Parker, E: York, Western Australia's first inland town, Parker Print, 2003 p.3. and is ...

. He was the son of Susan (née Collins) and

Warren Marwick Warren Marwick (5 August 1869 – 12 March 1955) was an Australian politician. Early life Marwick was born on 5 August 1869 in York, Western Australia to Mary Batty Taylor and William Marwick, a farmer. He was educated in York and his religio ...

, a farmer who was elected to the

Western Australian Legislative Council The Western Australian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Western Australia, a state of Australia. It is regarded as a house of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly, the lower house. The two Houses ...

in 1910. He was educated at a Catholic school in York and later studied engineering at the

Perth Technical School Central Institute of Technology was a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution based in Perth, Western Australia until 2016 when it became a part of North Metropolitan TAFE. It was the equal oldest post-secondary educational institution ...

. He left school in 1911, spending periods in Brookton and York before taking up farming in Greenhills. Marwick enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in July 1916 but received a medical discharge two months later. He was a member of the York Road Board, serving as chairman for a period, and also represented York on the wheat executive of the Primary Producers' Association (PPA).

Politics

In 1935, Marwick became a vice-president of the political section of the PPA. He was appointed to the Senate on 19 August 1936 to fill a

casual vacancy In politics, a casual vacancy (''casual'' in the sense of "by chance") is a situation in which a seat in a deliberative assembly becomes vacant during that assembly's term. Casual vacancies may arise through the death, resignation or disqualifi ...

caused by the death of William Carroll. He was a strong advocate for primary producers and supporter of states' rights, and publicly criticised the

Commonwealth Grants Commission The Commonwealth Grants Commission is an Australian independent statutory body that advises the Australian Government on financial assistance to the states and territories of Australia under section 96 of the Australian Constitution. The Commiss ...

as biased against Western Australia. Marwick was defeated for re-election to the Senate at the 1937 federal election. At the 1940 election he unsuccessfully stood for the

in the seat of

, as one of two endorsed Country Party candidates. The incumbent Country MP, 80-year-old Henry Gregory, won re-election but died in office two months later. Marwick won the resulting by-election, becoming the first West Australian to have served in both houses of federal parliament. He was not declared elected until 3 January 1941, following the distribution of preferences. During World War II Marwick served on the Joint Committee on Rural Industries and the Joint Committee on Prices. He was defeated after a single term at the 1943 election by the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP) candidate Don Mountjoy. He was endorsed by the Country Party as a candidate for the

1944 Swan state by-election A by-election for the seat of Swan in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 29 April 1944. It was triggered by the death of the sitting member, Richard Sampson of the Country Party, on 16 February 1944. The election was won ...

, but withdrew in favour of Hurtle Prater who was defeated.

Personal life

Marwick married in Lilian Isabel McInerney on 28 July 1920. He died at

St John of God Subiaco Hospital St John of God Subiaco Hospital is a private hospital in Subiaco, Western Australia, founded in . History Archbishop of Perth Matthew Gibney invited eight sisters of St John of God to Western Australia in 1895 to help people with typhoid fever ...

on 3 April 1960, aged 64, having retired from farming ten years earlier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marwick, Thomas National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Swan Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian Senate for Western Australia Members of the Australian Senate People from York, Western Australia 1895 births 1960 deaths 20th-century Australian politicians