Thomas George De Largie d'Alton (8 December 1895 – 7 May 1968) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was born in
Warracknabeal in
Victoria. In 1931 d'Alton was elected to the
Tasmanian House of Assembly as a
Labor member for
Darwin
Darwin may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection
* Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
. d'Alton was a minister from 1934 to 1943, including the Minister for Agriculture from December 1939 to November 1943; and he served as the Deputy Premier between 1941 and 1943.
In 1943
Herbert Evatt saw a need for a
High Commissioner in Wellington to coordinate views (a new post) and chose the "colourful figure" d'Alton, who however chose to retain his seat and salary in the Tasmanian Parliament. Three months after arriving he got into a punch-up with the landlord of the Post Office Hotel, Wellington. Questions from the Opposition in the Federal Parliament asked if he was a worthy reply to boxer
Bob Fitzsimmons the Freckled Wonder who moved to Australia from New Zealand.
In 1946 he was the subject of a Royal Commission alleging corruption. He was elected to the
Tasmanian Legislative Council, again representing Labor, for the seat of
Gordon in 1947, serving until his death in
Hobart
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 ...
in 1968.
References
1895 births
1968 deaths
Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly
Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Tasmania
High Commissioners of Australia to New Zealand
20th-century Australian politicians
People from Warracknabeal
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