Thomas Henry Wilding (16 March 1867 – 18 July 1954) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of

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 ...

from 1908 to 1914, representing East Province. Wilding was born in

Northam, Western Australia Northam () is a town in the Australian state of Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about east-northeast of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2016 census, Northam had a population of 6,548. Northa ...

, to Rose Ann (née Gaffney) and Thomas Wilding. He inherited his father's property at Mokine (near Clackline), where he bred lambs,

Clydesdale horse The Clydesdale is a Scottish breed of draught horse. It is named for its area of origin, the Clydesdale or valley of the River Clyde, much of which is within the county of Lanarkshire. The origins of the breed lie in the eighteenth century, ...

Jersey cow The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...

s, and

Berkshire pig The Berkshire is an English breed of pig. It originated in the county of Berkshire, for which it is named. It is normally black, with some white on the snout, on the lower legs, and on the tip of the tail. It is a rare breed in the United Kin ...

s. Prominent in local agricultural circles, Wilding first stood for parliament at the 1907 Legislative Council by-election in East Province. He was defeated by

George Throssell George Lionel Throssell (23 May 1840 – 30 August 1910) was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics. Georg ...

(a former

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

), but stood again at the main election the following year and was elected in place of the retiring

William Loton Sir William Thorley Loton (11 June 1838 – 22 October 1924), was an Australian politician. Early life Born at Dilhorne in Staffordshire, England on 11 June 1838,Pat Simpson, 'Loton, Sir William Thorley (1838–1924)', Australian Dictionary of ...

. Wilding left parliament at the expiration of his six-year term in 1914. Outside of politics, he served as president of the

Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia (RASWA) was established 1831 in Western Australia. Early history It held its first annual agricultural show, the Fair and Cattle Show, at Guildford on 7 November 1834. The show was moved to ...

from 1909 to 1928. Wilding died in Northam in 1954, aged 87. He had married Elizabeth Elena Christie in 1918, with whom he had three daughters.Thomas Henry Wilding
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 December 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilding, Thomas 1867 births 1954 deaths Australian farmers Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Northam, Western Australia