Thomas Wilson (5 May 1865 – 19 May 1933) was an Australian

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

and a 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 ...

. He was also

Mayor of Brisbane This is a list of the Mayors and Lord Mayors of the City of Brisbane, a local government area of Queensland, Australia. The current Lord Mayor of Brisbane is Adrian Schrinner. Mayors of the Brisbane Municipal Council (1859–1903) The Town ...

in 1909 and 1925.

Biography

Wilson was born in Riddells Creek,

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 ...

, to parents James Wilson and his wife Mary (née McLean). He was educated in Riddells Creek. As a young man, he left home to work in the primary industries and later as a shearer in the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

district. He then worked at the

Cobar Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier H ...

copper mine and came to Queensland in 1884 where he invested in mining and pastoral pursuits. In 1890 he married Emma Brown (died 1952)Family history research
— Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 31 March 2016. in Rockhampton and together had two sons and two daughters. He was a keen sportsman and a member of the

Tattersalls Club Tattersalls Club is a heritage-listed club house at 206 Edward Street (with a second frontage on Queen Street), Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hall and Prentice and built from 1925 to 1949. It was added to the Qu ...

. Wilson

died in office A death in office is the death of a person who was incumbent of an office-position until the time of death. Such deaths have been usually due to natural causes, but they are also caused by accidents, suicides, disease and assassinations. The dea ...

in May 1933, and was accorded a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

which proceeded from his

New Farm New Farm is an inner northern riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , New Farm had a population of 12,542 people. Geography The suburb is located 2 kilometres east of the Brisbane CBD on a large bend of the ...

residence to the

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

.Deceased Search
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 26 March 2016.

Public career

Wilson was associated with the Labour Party from its very early days of existence. He was an alderman on the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

, winning the ward of Merthyr in 1905 and holding it for the next sixteen years. During that time he was a member of the Brisbane Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board. In 1909 he was

and held the distinction of welcoming Lord Kitchener when he visited Brisbane on New Year's Day, 1910. In 1925 he was once again Mayor for a short period. Following the death of David Bowman in 1916, Wilson won the seat of

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...

in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He held the seat until his death in 1933, and was Minister for Public Instruction from 1925 until 1929. As minister he initiated many reforms for the welfare of school children and a lasting tribute to his name was the Wilson Ophthalmic School at

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

. The Wilson Hospital was a specialised facility where eye diseases in children from country Queensland could be diagnosed and treated.AUS-QLD-L Archives
— RootsWeb.com. Retrieved 2 April 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Thomas Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1865 births 1933 deaths Burials at Toowong Cemetery Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland People from Riddells Creek