William Henry Groom (9 March 1833 – 8 August 1901) was an Australian
publican
In antiquity, publicans (Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the ...
, newspaper proprietor, and politician who served as a member of the
Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...
from 1862 to 1901 and of the
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
in 1901.
Early life
Groom was born at
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, England, son of Thomas Groom, cordwainer, and his wife Maria, ''née'' Harkcom. Groom was educated at St Andrew's College, Plymouth, and apprenticed to a baker. He was
transported
''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film.
Plot
In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she w ...
from England to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
as a convict in 1846 for seven years, having been convicted of embezzlement, aged just 13. He was eventually released, subsequently convicted again of a similar offence, and served gaol time in the goldfields in what would later be the colony of
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 ...
. After he was again released, Groom eventually found himself on the
Darling Downs
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...
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
, established_ ...
, where, despite whispers about his chequered past, he became one of the leading members of society.
Career
In 1858 Groom became associated with
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
in connection with his activities and as an
auctioneer
An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...
.
Groom was proprietor of ''
The Toowoomba Chronicle
''The Toowoomba Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper serving Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs regional areas in Queensland, Australia.
As of 2016, the newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia, and forms part of their Regional Media ...
'' newspaper and one of the founders of the
Toowoomba Permanent Building Society
Toowoomba Permanent Building Society is a heritage-listed former building society at 2 Russell Street, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William Hodgen and built from 1934 to 1982. It is also known as Cleary ...
(later
Heritage Building Society). He was also involved in the creation of the Toowoomba Racecourse
Clifford Park Clifford may refer to:
People
*Clifford (name), an English given name and surname, includes a list of people with that name
*William Kingdon Clifford
*Baron Clifford
*Baron Clifford of Chudleigh
*Baron de Clifford
*Clifford baronets
* Clifford fam ...
, the Toowoomba School of Arts and many other establishments.
Politics
Groom served as an alderman in the
Borough of Toowoomba
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
from 1861 to 1901, as well as the town's
inaugural mayor in 1861. He went on to serve three consecutive terms as Mayor, and was re-elected to the position again in 1864, 1867, 1883 and 1884. During his first term as Mayor he successfully led his council to petition the colonial government for land for a town hall, a municipal market and the original site for
Queens Park.
![William Groom](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/William_Groom.jpg)
In 1862 Groom was elected to 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 ...
in the
electoral district of Toowoomba
Toowoomba was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. The seat was in Toowoomba.
History
The seat had two incarnations. The first was from 1873 to 1878 and the second from 1912 to 1960.
In 18 ...
with a majority of 21 votes. He served as parliamentary speaker from 1883 to 1888.
Groom played a major role in the growth of Toowoomba by securing funding for bridges and arterial roads, the establishment of the General Hospital (now
Queensland Health
Queensland Health is the name of the overall public health service in the state of Queensland, Australia. Like all other states and territories in Australia, the Queensland Government provides low- or no-cost primary, secondary, and tertiary ...
's Toowoomba Base Hospital) and Willowburn Hospital (now Baillie Henderson Hospital).
Groom was elected as a
Protectionist
Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations. ...
to the
Darling Downs
The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...
electorate at the
inaugural Australian federal election in 1901, becoming the only transported convict to ever sit as a member of the Australian Parliament.
Death
Unfortunately, he was given little time to enjoy the crowning glory of his political career, as he died on 8 August of the same year at the first Commonwealth Parliament meeting in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. He died of a combination of bronchial
catarrh
Catarrh is an exudate of inflamed mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses. It can result in a thick exudate of mucus and white blood cells caused by the swelling o ...
and heart failure. Groom was the first serving member of the Australian Parliament to die. (Sir
James Dickson James or Jim Dickson may refer to:
Politicians
*James Dickson (Scottish politician) (c. 1715–1771), MP for Lanark Burghs 1768–1771
*James Dickson (New South Wales politician) (1813–1863), member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
*Ja ...
, Minister for Defence, had died in January, but that was before the first parliament had been elected). Groom's body was returned to Queensland for burial in the
Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery
Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at the corner of South Street and Anzac Avenue, Harristown, Queensland, Australia. It was surveyed in May 1850, and is one of the earliest surviving cemeteries in Queensland. The cem ...
.
[William Groom]
— Toowoomba Regional Council
The Toowoomba Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs part of Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s and beyo ...
. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
Legacy
William Henry Groom was succeeded as the member for Darling Downs by his third son
Littleton Groom
Sir Littleton Ernest Groom KCMG KC (22 April 18676 November 1936) was an Australian politician. He held ministerial office under four prime ministers between 1905 and 1925, and subsequently served as Speaker of the House of Representatives fr ...
, who won the seat in
Australia's first federal by-election and later became
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
William Henry Groom was also the father of Queensland State parliamentarian (
MLC)
Henry Littleton Groom.
His home,
Millbrook, is listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register
The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...
.
See also
*
List of convicts transported to Australia
Penal transportation to Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and ended in 1868. Overall, approximately 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia.
Convicts
A
* Esther Abrahams (c. 1767–1846), English wife of ...
References
*
*D. B. Waterson,
Groom, William Henry (1833 - 1901),
Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
, Volume 4,
MUP, 1972, pp. 304–305. Retrieved on 30 December 2008.
External links
The Toowoomba ChronicleThe Life of W. H. Groom (with special reference to Federation)William Henry Groom, convict Queenslander
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groom, William Henry
1833 births
1901 deaths
Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Darling Downs
Convicts transported to Australia
Mayors of Toowoomba
Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Australian auctioneers
Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia
19th-century Australian politicians
20th-century Australian politicians
19th-century Australian businesspeople