Thomas Hamlet Harrison (2 April 1864 – 20 June 1944) was an Australian politician who was a Country Party member of the Legislative Assembly 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 1914 to 1924. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1919 to 1922.

Early life

Harrison was born in Brailsford,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England. He emigrated to Australia in 1884, initially settling in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, then moving 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 ...

, and finally arriving in Western Australia in the 1890s. Harrison lived in Coolgardie and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

for a period, and later became a wheat farmer at Doodlakine. He was elected to the

Kellerberrin Road Board The Shire of Kellerberrin is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, about west of Merredin and about east of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of ...

in 1911, and served until 1915, including as chairman for a period of time.Thomas Hamlet Harrison
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2016.

Politics and later life

At the 1914 state election, Harrison stood for the newly formed Country Party and was elected to the seat of Avon. He replaced the retiring

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

member,

Thomas Bath Thomas Henry Bath, CBE (21 February 1875 – 6 November 1956) was an Australian politician, trade unionist, newspaper editor, writer, and cooperativist. A member of the Labor Party, he served as a Member of the Western Australian Legislative ...

. In July 1919, following the resignation of

Francis Willmott Francis Edward Sykes Willmott (1870 – 29 January 1941) was an Australian politician who was a member of both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, serving in the Legislative Assembly from 1914 to 1921, and then in the Legislative ...

, Harrison was elected leader of the Country Party, which was then in a governing coalition with the Nationalist Party (led by the premier James Mitchell). He continued in the position until August 1922, when he resigned to protest the elevation of a Country MP,

Richard Sampson Richard Sampson (died 25 September 1554) was an English clergyman and composer of sacred music, who was Anglican bishop of Chichester and subsequently of Coventry and Lichfield. Biography He was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, the Paris S ...

, to cabinet (as Colonial Secretary). Harrison felt that Mitchell had an obligation to consult with him in matters regarding his party's MPs, which he had not fulfilled, and that a more senior member of the party should have received the promotion (Sampson having only been in parliament since the 1921 election). The Country Party split into two rival factions in 1923, with Harrison joining the Ministerial (or Government) faction, which comprised supporters of the coalition with the Nationalists. At the 1924 state election, he was opposed by Harry Griffiths, a member of the Executive (or Opposition) faction, as well as several other candidates. He was defeated by a large margin, receiving only 18.9 percent of the first-preference vote as Griffiths was elected in his place."AVON."
'' The Western Mail'', 27 March 1924. After leaving parliament, Harrison returned to his Doodlakine farm. He died in Kellerberrin in June 1944, aged 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Tom 1864 births 1944 deaths 20th-century Australian farmers English emigrants to colonial Australia Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Western Australia People from Derbyshire Dales (district) Western Australian local councillors

Early life

Politics and later life

See also

References