Thomas Steele (25 August 1887 – 3 September 1963) was a politician and soldier in New South Wales, Australia. He was born in

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

to miller Henry Steele and Frances Jell. He was educated at local public schools and worked in a general store before serving in the AIF during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the 2nd Division's Field Artillery, and was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. On 26 August 194 he married Alma Ann Black, with whom he had a daughter. After the war he returned to the general store, later purchasing his own business in Monteagle and acquiring property, on which he ran an orchard. From 1931 to 1933 he was an alderman at Young. In 1934 he was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

as a member of the Country Party to a term ending in 1937, and was re-elected in 1936, and 1949. He returned to the armed forces in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

. He was elected Chairman of Committees in 1946, serving until 1953. His term on the council expired in 1961 and he was not a candidate for re-election. Steele died at Crows Nest on .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Thomas 1887 births 1963 deaths National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Chairman of Committees of the New South Wales Legislative Council 20th-century Australian politicians