Thomas Campbell (Australian politician)

Mary Hanley

​

(m. 1873)​

Thomas Joseph Campbell
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Cook
In office 4 March 1884 –4 August 1885 Servingwith John Hamilton and Sir Samuel Griffith
Relations	Terence Lafferty, BA Sydney University, Director Townsville Technical College
Occupation	Teacher/Headmaster and Barrister

Thomas Joseph Campbell (1845 - 6 November 1885) was a politician in colonial Queensland. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1884 to 1885, representing the electorate of Cook. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life

Campbell was the son of John and Catherine Campbell (née Johnson). ^{[3] [4]}

Politics

In August 1883 at a public meeting in Mackay, Queensland, Campbell condemned the policies of the then Premier, Sir Thomas McIlwraith, and informed those present that he had great faith in Sir Samuel Griffith who was subsequently elected Premier of Queensland in November 1883. ^[5]

Campbell was declared insolvent on 27 July 1885 and he tendered his resignation from the parliament. ^{[6] [7]} As had occurred on a previous occasion when a member was declared insolvent, it was thought proper for the Queensland Parliament to move that the seat be declared vacant by reason of the insolvency of the member. On 4 August 1885 the then Premier, Samuel Griffith, moved: "That the seat of Thomas Campbell hath become and is now vacant by reason of the insolvency of the said Thomas Campbell since his election and return to serve in this House as one of the members for the electoral district of Cook." The question was put and passed. ^[8]

Later life

Thomas Campbell's headstone at West End Cemetery, 2012

Campbell died in Townsville at the Imperial Hotel on 6 November 1885, aged 40 when he was visiting North Queensland on a court case and was buried in the West End Cemetery in Townsville. According to The Gympie Times, "he had been laid up at the Imperial Hotel for three days with an attack of asthma, but on Friday he was seized with convulsive fits, which continued until his death, the cause of which is said to have been Bright's disease" and that he was "a fine scholar and a man of great natural ability and application - as is shown by the fact that whilst fulfilling his responsible scholastic duties, he, quite unaided, managed to qualify himself for admission to the bar". ^[9]

Family

Wife Mary (nee Hanley), circa 1915

References

1. "Part 2.15 – Alphabetical Register of Members of the Legislative Assembly 1860–2017 and the Legislative Council 1860–1922" (PDF). Queensland Parliamentary Record 2015–2017: The 55th Parliament. Queensland Parliament. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
2. "Mr Thomas Joseph Campbell". Parliament of Queensland as per original research brief provided by the author, Brendan Garner, and published online by the Parliament of Queensland. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
3. Marriage certificate for Thomas Campbell
4. Death certificate for Thomas Campbell
5. "MINING". Gympie Times And Mary River Mining Gazette . Vol. XV, no. 1624. Queensland, Australia. 22 August 1883. p. 3. Retrieved 5 March 2017– via National Library of Australia.
6. "A Queensland' Barrister Adjudicated Insolvent". The Telegraph . No. 4, 016. Queensland, Australia. 27 July 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2017– via National Library of Australia.
7. "BRISBANE". Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald And General Advertiser . Vol. XXVI, no. 3610. Queensland, Australia. 28 July 1885. p. 5. Retrieved 5 March 2017– via National Library of Australia.
8. "PARLIAMENT". The Telegraph . No. 4, 024. Queensland, Australia. 5 August 1885. p. 4. Retrieved 5 March 2017– via National Library of Australia.
9. "LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS". Gympie Times And Mary River Mining Gazette . Vol. XVII, no. 1937. Queensland, Australia. 10 November 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 5 March 2017– via National Library of Australia.

Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Frederick Cooper	Member for Cook 4 March 1884 – 4 August 1885 Served alongside: John Hamilton	Succeeded by Charles Hill