Thomas Young Duncan (1836 – 18 August 1914), sometimes referred to as "Tam Duncan", was a New Zealand politician of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Early life

Born at

Plumbridge Plumbridge is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is a crossroads village, standing on the banks of the Glenelly River. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 267 people. It lies within Derry City and Strabane District ar ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

, Ireland, in 1836, Duncan was educated at Castledamph National School. In 1858 he went to

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 ...

where he worked on the goldfields, and then in 1862 followed the gold rush to

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributa ...

in New Zealand. After little success, he began farming at

Pukeuri Pukeuri is a settlement to the north of Oamaru in the North Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near the coast in the Waitaki District that straddles the border of Otago and Canterbury. The settlement's major employer i ...

, north of Oamaru, and lived there for the remainder of his life.

Political career

He represented the Waitaki electorate from 1881 to 1890 and then the

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

electorate from

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

to 1911, when he was defeated by

Ernest Lee Ernest Page Lee (27 August 1862 – 19 February 1932) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Reform Party. Early life Born in 1862 in Teignmouth, England, he received his education at Cheltenham and London. Aged 18, he started learning ...

. He was appointed to the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

on 13 June 1912 and served until his death in 1914.

Notes

References

* * 1836 births 1914 deaths People from County Tyrone Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Irish emigrants to New Zealand (before 1923) New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians {{NewZealand-Liberal-politician-stub