Thomas Burke (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Michael Burke, CMG
(30 June 1870 – 16 February 1949) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist.
Burke was born at Norval, near Ararat
in Victoria
, to Dublin-born miner William Marcus Burke and Aberdeen
-born Mary Ann, née Florence. He attended Norval State School and Ararat High School before becoming a railway clerk in 1887, overseeing first Spencer Street Station and then Ararat from 1892. On 25 July 1898 he married Margaret Duggan Brady at St Mary's Catholic Church at Ararat. He was involved in the later stages of the Federation movement as president of the local branch of the Australian Natives' Association (ANA) and vice-president (1900–01) and chief president (1902–03) of the Victorian ANA.
Burke was appointed secretary of the Civil Service Co-operative Society of Victoria in March 1902 and was involved in the railway workers' clash with the Irvine
government; later that year he resigned from the railways and founded the Civil Service Co-operative Store in Flinders Street
. An ardent protectionist, he contested the 1914 federal election
as the Labor
candidate for Corangamite
but was defeated. He sold the Co-operative Store in 1915 and entered the real estate business, and by 1924 was also involved in finance and investment, with offices in Sydney
, Newcastle
, Brisbane
, Adelaide and various country centres.
Burke survived the Depression
and during the 1930s his company, T. M. Burke Pty Ltd, had established branches in Auckland
, Singapore
and London
. He retired from everyday management of the business in May 1936, but remained chairman of directors. He held several other positions in addition to his business interests, serving as president of the Breeders, Owners and Trainers' Association of Victoria (as an avid horse racer
), member (1931–49) and chairman (1936–39, 1944–45) of the Victorian Hospitals and Charities Board, member of the Victorian Council of the Australian Red Cross
, and consul for Poland
(1933–49). He also gave financial support to the Melbourne University Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, and donated both land and money to the Catholic Church; he was inaugural national chairman of the Knights of the Southern Cross, accepted a chalice from Pope Pius XI
on behalf of Australian Catholic businessman, and lobbied for state aid to Catholic schools.
Appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1942, Burke retired to Armadale
. He died of cancer
in 1949.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(30 June 1870 – 16 February 1949) was an Australian businessman and philanthropist.
Burke was born at Norval, near Ararat
Ararat, Victoria
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, to Dublin-born miner William Marcus Burke and Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
-born Mary Ann, née Florence. He attended Norval State School and Ararat High School before becoming a railway clerk in 1887, overseeing first Spencer Street Station and then Ararat from 1892. On 25 July 1898 he married Margaret Duggan Brady at St Mary's Catholic Church at Ararat. He was involved in the later stages of the Federation movement as president of the local branch of the Australian Natives' Association (ANA) and vice-president (1900–01) and chief president (1902–03) of the Victorian ANA.
Burke was appointed secretary of the Civil Service Co-operative Society of Victoria in March 1902 and was involved in the railway workers' clash with the Irvine
William Irvine (Australian politician)
Sir William Hill Irvine GCMG , Australian politician and judge, was the 21st Premier of Victoria. Irvine was born in Newry in County Down, Ireland, into a Scottish-Presbyterian family...
government; later that year he resigned from the railways and founded the Civil Service Co-operative Store in Flinders Street
Flinders Street, Melbourne
Flinders Street is a notable street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly one mile in length and one and half chains in width...
. An ardent protectionist, he contested the 1914 federal 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...
as the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
candidate for Corangamite
Division of Corangamite
The Division of Corangamite is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
but was defeated. He sold the Co-operative Store in 1915 and entered the real estate business, and by 1924 was also involved in finance and investment, with offices in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Adelaide and various country centres.
Burke survived the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and during the 1930s his company, T. M. Burke Pty Ltd, had established branches in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He retired from everyday management of the business in May 1936, but remained chairman of directors. He held several other positions in addition to his business interests, serving as president of the Breeders, Owners and Trainers' Association of Victoria (as an avid horse racer
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
), member (1931–49) and chairman (1936–39, 1944–45) of the Victorian Hospitals and Charities Board, member of the Victorian Council of the Australian Red Cross
Australian Red Cross
The Australian Red Cross is one of the many national Red Cross societies around the world. The Australian organisation was established in 1914, nine days after the commencement of World War I, by Karen Tenenbaum, when she formed a branch of the British Red Cross.the organisation grew at a rapid rate...
, and consul for Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(1933–49). He also gave financial support to the Melbourne University Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, and donated both land and money to the Catholic Church; he was inaugural national chairman of the Knights of the Southern Cross, accepted a chalice from Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
on behalf of Australian Catholic businessman, and lobbied for state aid to Catholic schools.
Appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1942, Burke retired to Armadale
Armadale, Victoria
Armadale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Armadale had a population of 8,467....
. He died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1949.