Thomas Daniel Chapman (31 October 1815
[His exact birth year is unclear but 1815 is widely accepted, although his baptism date is registered as 18 Dec 1814 (Biggleswade, Bedfordshire); this article uses the birth year from the ] – 17 February 1884) was the
Premier of Tasmania
The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of ...
from 2 August 1861 until 20 January 1863. He served as a member of the
Tasmanian Parliament
The Parliament of Tasmania is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and consists of the Governor of Tasmania, the Tasmanian House of Assembly (the lower house), and ...
for 26 years from August 1856 until his death in 1884.
[Chapman served 26 years because for a period of time 1864-1866 he was not a member of parliament due to bankruptcy]
Early life
Chapman immigrated to
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
at around 1841 with his younger brother George (George returned to England after having married in Tasmania). He set up a business in
Hobart and became a leading merchant during the early 1850s. He married Catherine Swan and had four daughters and five sons. Chapman was an advocate against the
transportation of convicts to
Van Diemens Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
(Tasmania).
Political career
Chapman was first elected to the
Tasmanian Legislative Council
The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, ...
in 1851. When the
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart.
The Assembly has 25 m ...
was created in 1856 Chapman became a minister under Tasmania's first responsible government headed by
William Champ. He was made Colonial Treasurer and upon taking the position realised that the estimated budget of the state was not £330,000 but only £250,000.
[Source informatio]
Biography of Early Australians by Peter Killackey
/ref> To fix the deficit Chapman proposed increasing taxes and reducing the wages of public servants, a proposal which reduced his popularity. After William Champ's ministry was defeated in 1857, his position as Treasurer was given to another member of parliament.
Chapman was in opposition during the Gregson, Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
and Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people wi ...
ministries. Or from 1857 after Champ's resignation, until 1861.
Chapman became Premier after four years out of ministry, on 2 August 1861 he held office until 20 January 1863 a total of 18 months making him the second longest serving Premier after Francis Smith at the time. While Premier he also took up his old job of Colonial treasurer from November, 1862 until January, 1863.
Although his term as Premier ended he became Colonial Treasurer again in Richard Dry
Sir Richard Dry, KCMG (20 September 1815 – 1 August 1869) was an Australian politician, the son of United Irish convict, who was Premier of Tasmania from 24 November 1866 until 1 August 1869 when he died in office. Dry was the first Tasmani ...
's ministry from 24 November 1866 until 1869. He also held the position in Wilson's ministry from 1869–1872. In 1873 he resigned from the House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...
to become a member of the Legislative Council. In August, 1873 he joined Alfred Kennerley's ministry holding the position of Colonial Secretary from 1873 until 1876. After this Chapman served in no more ministries but was President of the Tasmanian Legislative Council
The President of the Tasmanian Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the Council.
Presidents of the Legislative Council
External links
Presidents of the Legislative Council(Parliament of Tasmania)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasmania
Lists of ...
on 11 July 1882 until his death.
Chapman is noted as being a good public speaker and an excellent financier.
Electorates
During his time in parliament; Chapman served in six electorates, in both chambers.
Tasmanian House of Assembly
*Hobart Town
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
from 15 September 1856 until 31 May 1861.[Many of these electorates no longer exist they are based on the towns of Hobart, Launceston and ]Campbell Town
Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, on the Midland Highway. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 823.
History
Traditional owners of the Campbell Town area
The traditional custodians of the Campbell Town area were t ...
. Sources of the electoral terms are located at
*Queenborough
Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England.
Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the R ...
from 11 June 1861 until 8 November 1862.
*Campbell Town
Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, on the Midland Highway. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 823.
History
Traditional owners of the Campbell Town area
The traditional custodians of the Campbell Town area were t ...
from 8 November 1862 until May, 1864. Resigned because of bankruptcy
*Hobart Town
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
from 27 October 1866 until 3 December 1866.
* Launceston from 31 December 1866 until August, 1871.
* East Hobart from 1 September 1871 until August, 1873. Resigned to contest in Tasmanian Legislative Council
The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, ...
.
Tasmanian Legislative Council
* Buckingham from 28 October 1851 until August, 1856. Resigned to contest in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart.
The Assembly has 25 m ...
.
* Buckingham from 8 August 1873 until 17 February 1884.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Thomas
1815 births
1884 deaths
Premiers of Tasmania
Politicians from Hobart
Presidents of the Tasmanian Legislative Council
Leaders of the Opposition in Tasmania
Treasurers of Tasmania
People from Bedford
Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
19th-century Australian politicians
English emigrants to colonial Australia