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Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia

John Thomson

Parliamentary Service

House

MLA

Party

Nationalist to 1922 then Country Party Independent Nationalist in 1924

Date Elected

12 March 1921

Electorate

Claremont

Service

State

Electorates

MLA Claremont, 12 March 1921–22 March 1924
Contested Claremont 22 March 1924

Commonwealth

Contested Senate 5 September 1914, 19 December 1931

Private Member's Bills

Inaugural Speech

Year Retired/Resigned

1924

Personal Information

Birth date

29 May 1865 (possibly earlier)

Place of birth

On farm 20 miles from Edinburgh, Whitburn, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Death date

27 February 1947

Cause of death

Place of death

Brighton, England, United Kingdom

Cemetery

Arrived in WA

To WA circa 1894

Parents

Marriage and Family

Married (1) unknown
Widowed
Married (2) 26 June 1890, residence of Thomas Cowie, Junction, Newcastle, NSW (Primitive Methodist) to Phillis Hunt (born circa 1863 and died Claremont, 31 May 1927), daughter of James and Mary
Children: one son
Widowed 31 May 1927

Religion

Not stated

Education

Occupation

Miner and manager

Employment History

Miner in NSW by 1890
Mine manager, Coolgardie, 1899 and at Boulder, 1904
Served in Scots’ Greys for four months
Enlisted Australian Imperial Force, 15 December 1915, 2nd Lieutenant
Promoted to Lieutenant, 10 February 1916 Served in France in 3rd Mining Company and 3rd Tunnelling Company
Discharged 16 December 1916

Local Government

Mayor of Claremont, 1920–1921

Principal Honours

Background/Membership

Emigrated to Australia as a child, first in New South Wales
Resided at Claremont from 1905, independent means
Organised Miners’ Corps with Professor Edgeworth David
President, WA Club
Member, Tattersalls Club
Promoted group settlement scheme for Kimberleys, 1923
Interested in lead mining in north and Lake Austin
Endeavoured to promote gold mining in Nullagine area, early 1930s
Still living with son and daughter-in-law in Claremont, 1931
Retired to England, circa 1935

References

D Black and G Bolton, eds, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia: volume one 1870-1930, Parliamentary History Project, Perth, WA, 2010, p. 195.
Metropolitan Cemeteries Board website. Accessed 15 September 2022. https://portal.mcb.wa.gov.au/name-search/ns-detail/?id=912b64bc-8a1d-ec11-b6e7-00224814cbf0
West Australian, 15 March 1921, 22 February 1947.
The Western Australia post office directory, (1895/6–1905)

Bibliography

Further Information