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Thomas Crawford (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Thomas William Crawford (31 January 1865 – 8 June 1948) was a long-serving member of the Australian Senate
and joint Father of the Senate.
, Melbourne
, Crawford was raised on a Gippsland
farm before working as a printer on several newspapers, including the Brisbane Courier-Mail
. He became involved in trade union issues and became President of the Queensland Typographical Association in 1892, as well as a delegate to the Australian Labour Federation.
and becoming a successful sugar cane grower. He became Chairman of the Mossman Sugar Mill and heavily involved in sugar issues, including the use of Melanesian labourers on sugar plantations. His stature within the sugar growing community was such that he was elected President of the powerful Queensland Sugar Producers Association in 1909 (a position he held until 1943) and as a member of the Douglas Shire Council.
as a Commonwealth Liberal Party
candidate for the Division of Herbert
and then as a Senate candidate at the 1914 election
before his election to the Senate in 1917
as a representative of the Nationalist Party of Australia
.
Crawford retained his seat at subsequent elections until his retirement in June 1947. From 1931, he was a member of the United Australia Party
. From 1 July 1938 until their retirements on 30 June 1947, he and Harry Foll were the joint Fathers of the Senate. In 1944 he was asked to leave the Opposition party room and served the remainder of his term as an independent
.
Respected for his authority on sugar issues, an important industry in Australia at the time, Crawford served as honorary minister and acting minister for trade and customs in the Stanley Bruce
government. He was also at times a strong advocate for statehood for the Australian tropics.
for bravery in the field.
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
and joint Father of the Senate.
Early life
Born in CollingwoodCollingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Crawford was raised on a Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
farm before working as a printer on several newspapers, including the Brisbane Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail is a daily newspaper published in Brisbane, Australia. Owned by News Limited, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie, in Brisbane's...
. He became involved in trade union issues and became President of the Queensland Typographical Association in 1892, as well as a delegate to the Australian Labour Federation.
Sugar grower
In 1895 Crawford moved to the country, purchasing land near Mossman, QueenslandMossman, Queensland
For the collection of Horsedrawn Carriages see Mossman CollectionMossman is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, on the Mossman River...
and becoming a successful sugar cane grower. He became Chairman of the Mossman Sugar Mill and heavily involved in sugar issues, including the use of Melanesian labourers on sugar plantations. His stature within the sugar growing community was such that he was elected President of the powerful Queensland Sugar Producers Association in 1909 (a position he held until 1943) and as a member of the Douglas Shire Council.
Political career
Crawford unsuccessfully stood for parliament firstly in 1910Australian federal election, 1910
Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 April 1910. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
as a Commonwealth Liberal Party
Commonwealth Liberal Party
The Commonwealth Liberal Party was a political movement active in Australia from 1909 to 1916, shortly after federation....
candidate for the Division of Herbert
Division of Herbert
The Division of Herbert is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Eligible voters within the Division elect a single representative, known as the member for Herbert, to the Australian House of Representatives. The division was first contested at the 1901 election...
and then as a Senate candidate at the 1914 election
Australian federal election, 1914
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 September 1914. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 36 seats in the Senate were up for election in a double dissolution...
before his election to the Senate in 1917
Australian federal election, 1917
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 May 1917. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
as a representative of the Nationalist Party of Australia
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
.
Crawford retained his seat at subsequent elections until his retirement in June 1947. From 1931, he was a member of the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
. From 1 July 1938 until their retirements on 30 June 1947, he and Harry Foll were the joint Fathers of the Senate. In 1944 he was asked to leave the Opposition party room and served the remainder of his term as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
.
Respected for his authority on sugar issues, an important industry in Australia at the time, Crawford served as honorary minister and acting minister for trade and customs in the Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
government. He was also at times a strong advocate for statehood for the Australian tropics.
Legacy
Crawford died at Indooroopilly, survived by his wife Emily, four daughters and three sons. His son William Crawford was awarded the Military MedalMilitary Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
for bravery in the field.