Thomas Brown (Western Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Brown was an early settler in colonial
Western Australia
, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
.
Thomas Brown was born in England
in 1803. Little is known of his life in England, except that he married Eliza Bussey in 1836, and by 1840 he was living in Cuddesdon
, Oxfordshire
and working as a road surveyor. He was reasonably well off financially by then, having an interest in the rental of a turnpike
, and some rental property in the district.
In November 1840, Brown and his family emigrated to Western Australia
, arriving on the Sterling in March 1841. On arrival at the Swan River Colony
, Brown went immediately to York
, where he purchased Grass Dale from Revett Henry Bland. Brown purchased ewes for the property, and began selecting horse
s for breeding. In July 1841 he accepted a position as assistant government surveyor, but the work took him away from his property too much, and he resigned in January 1842. He became active in the York Agricultural Society, being its president during 1843. In November 1844 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace
.
Brown worked at Grass Dale until 1852, during which time he had great success in the development of his land and stock, but little success financially. By the end of that period, the property was in debt by over £2000. In 1850, Brown decided to seek better land. Together with his son Kenneth
, he joined a party of eight in exploring overland from York to the Champion Bay district. The party travelled 300 miles (480 km) and found large tracts of apparently good land. Brown selected 40,000 acres (160 km²) on the Greenough River
, and the following year established a homestead there, which he called Glengarry.
Although Brown leased out Grass Dale and established a homestead at Glengarry, his intention of living at Glengarry did not eventuate. Late in 1850, shortly before his intended relocation to Glengarry, Brown was nominated to the Legislative Council, a position which required him to be in Perth
. As Brown was committed to moving to Champion Bay, he stated his intention to decline the nomination, but was persuaded by the Governor of Western Australia
, Captain Charles Fitzgerald
to sit for the remainder of the session.
Brown became involved in controversy almost as soon as he took his seat. In the Governor's address to the new Legislative Council, Fitzgerald stated that he considered the new Members, Brown, Marshall Clifton
and Lionel Samson
, to represent their districts. This statement was then misreported by The Perth Gazette
as having been said by the men themselves. As none of the men were elected representatives, this greatly angered the colony's many supporters of responsible government
, and the York settlers published a declaration denying that Brown represented them, or indeed that he had any political influence in the district. Shortly afterwards, Brown published a dignified letter stating that he had never considered himself to be a representative of any particular class or district, then resigned his seat.
Once again Brown prepared to relocate to Glengarry, but in October 1851 he was appointed acting Police Magistrate in Fremantle
, during the absence of Thomas Yule. Brown accepted the position and moved his family to Fremantle, leaving Glengarry in the hands of his eldest son Kenneth. He was appointed Resident Magistrate for Fremantle the following year, and from 1856 was also Perth's Collector of Customs.
In October 1862, Brown was transferred to the position of Resident Magistrate at Geraldton
. He held the position until his death the following June. Early in June 1863, Brown suffered a series of heart attack
s, and he died on 5 June. He was buried two days later in the old Geraldton cemetery.
Among Thomas Brown's seven children were Kenneth
, Maitland
and Matilda, who married Samuel Hamersley
. Edith Cowan
was his granddaughter.
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
.
Thomas Brown was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1803. Little is known of his life in England, except that he married Eliza Bussey in 1836, and by 1840 he was living in Cuddesdon
Cuddesdon
Cuddesdon is an east Oxfordshire village about east of Oxford. It is notable as the location of Ripon College Cuddesdon....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and working as a road surveyor. He was reasonably well off financially by then, having an interest in the rental of a turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
, and some rental property in the district.
In November 1840, Brown and his family emigrated to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, arriving on the Sterling in March 1841. On arrival at the Swan River Colony
Swan River Colony
The Swan River Colony was a British settlement established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. The name was a pars pro toto for Western Australia. In 1832, the colony was officially renamed Western Australia, when the colony's founding Lieutenant-Governor, Captain James Stirling,...
, Brown went immediately to York
York, Western Australia
York is the oldest inland town in Western Australia, situated 97 km east of Perth in the Avon Valley near Northam, and is the seat of the Shire of York...
, where he purchased Grass Dale from Revett Henry Bland. Brown purchased ewes for the property, and began selecting horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s for breeding. In July 1841 he accepted a position as assistant government surveyor, but the work took him away from his property too much, and he resigned in January 1842. He became active in the York Agricultural Society, being its president during 1843. In November 1844 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
.
Brown worked at Grass Dale until 1852, during which time he had great success in the development of his land and stock, but little success financially. By the end of that period, the property was in debt by over £2000. In 1850, Brown decided to seek better land. Together with his son Kenneth
Kenneth Brown (pastoralist)
Kenneth Brown was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was hanged for murdering his wife.Kenneth Brown was born in England in 1837. The eldest son of Thomas Brown, he later became the older brother of Maitland Brown. In 1840, The Brown family emigrated to Western Australia,...
, he joined a party of eight in exploring overland from York to the Champion Bay district. The party travelled 300 miles (480 km) and found large tracts of apparently good land. Brown selected 40,000 acres (160 km²) on the Greenough River
Greenough River
The Greenough River is a river in the Mid West region of Western Australia.-Course:Nominally located at , Greenough River has its headwaters near Woojalong Hills on the Yilgarn Plateau. It runs in a south westerly direction through deep valleys for approximately , passing through the Waterloo...
, and the following year established a homestead there, which he called Glengarry.
Although Brown leased out Grass Dale and established a homestead at Glengarry, his intention of living at Glengarry did not eventuate. Late in 1850, shortly before his intended relocation to Glengarry, Brown was nominated to the Legislative Council, a position which required him to be in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. As Brown was committed to moving to Champion Bay, he stated his intention to decline the nomination, but was persuaded by the Governor of Western Australia
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
, Captain Charles Fitzgerald
Charles Fitzgerald
Captain Charles Fitzgerald was the Governor of The Gambia from 1844 until 1847, then Governor of Western Australia from 1848 to 1855....
to sit for the remainder of the session.
Brown became involved in controversy almost as soon as he took his seat. In the Governor's address to the new Legislative Council, Fitzgerald stated that he considered the new Members, Brown, Marshall Clifton
Marshall Clifton
Marshall Waller Clifton was born 1 November 1787 at Alverstoke, near Gosport, Hampshire, England, to Rev. Francis Clifton and Rebekah Katherine ....
and Lionel Samson
Lionel Samson
Lionel Samson was an early Swan River Colony settler and businessman whose firm, Lionel Samson & Son, is the oldest continuing family business in Australia....
, to represent their districts. This statement was then misreported by The Perth Gazette
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
as having been said by the men themselves. As none of the men were elected representatives, this greatly angered the colony's many supporters of responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
, and the York settlers published a declaration denying that Brown represented them, or indeed that he had any political influence in the district. Shortly afterwards, Brown published a dignified letter stating that he had never considered himself to be a representative of any particular class or district, then resigned his seat.
Once again Brown prepared to relocate to Glengarry, but in October 1851 he was appointed acting Police Magistrate in Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, during the absence of Thomas Yule. Brown accepted the position and moved his family to Fremantle, leaving Glengarry in the hands of his eldest son Kenneth. He was appointed Resident Magistrate for Fremantle the following year, and from 1856 was also Perth's Collector of Customs.
In October 1862, Brown was transferred to the position of Resident Magistrate at Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
. He held the position until his death the following June. Early in June 1863, Brown suffered a series of heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
s, and he died on 5 June. He was buried two days later in the old Geraldton cemetery.
Among Thomas Brown's seven children were Kenneth
Kenneth Brown (pastoralist)
Kenneth Brown was an explorer and pastoralist in Western Australia. He was hanged for murdering his wife.Kenneth Brown was born in England in 1837. The eldest son of Thomas Brown, he later became the older brother of Maitland Brown. In 1840, The Brown family emigrated to Western Australia,...
, Maitland
Maitland Brown
Maitland Brown was an explorer, politician and pastoralist in colonial Western Australia. He is best remembered as the leader of the La Grange expedition, which searched for and recovered the bodies of three white settlers murdered by Indigenous Australians, and subsequently killed a number of...
and Matilda, who married Samuel Hamersley
Samuel Hamersley
Samuel Richard Hamersley was a Western Australian pastoralist, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for six years....
. Edith Cowan
Edith Cowan
Edith Dircksey Cowan , MBE was an Australian politician, social campaigner and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament....
was his granddaughter.