Thomas McIlwraith
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas McIlwraith KCMG (17 May 1835 – 17 July 1900) was for many years the dominant figure of colonial politics
in Queensland
. He was Premier of Queensland from 1877 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893. In common with most politicians of his era, McIlwraith was an influential businessman, who combined his parliamentary career with a prosperous involvement in the pastoral industry
.
, Scotland
in 1835, one of four sons of John McIlwraith, plumber and shipowner, and his wife Janet Hamilton née Howat. His eldest brother, John (1828–1902), migrated to Victoria
in 1853; his youngest brother, Andrew (1844–1932), co-founded McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co in London with Malcolm McEacharn
.
He studied civil engineering
at the University of Glasgow
.
persuaded him, in 1854, to migrate to Victoria where he worked as a surveyor and engineer for the Department of Railways, and subsequently as a partner with Messrs Cornish and Bruce, railway contractors. He also invested in eight pastoral holdings in the Maranoa
district in Queensland
.
He retained close relations with his brother John, and on 6 June 1863 married Margaret Whannell, sister of John's wife. They had three daughters, Jessie (b.1866), Mary (b.1868) and Blanche (b.1872). He eventually moved to Queensland, but Margaret was reluctant to live in isolated Merivale station. In 1871 she visited Merivale, but soon returned to Melbourne for Blanche's birth. In 1874 they decided to live in Brisbane. Thomas found that she was drinking heavily, and sent her to Scotland where she died in 1877. McIlwraith fathered an illegitimate daughter in Victoria. In 1877 McIlwraith was a founding partner of the North Australian Pastoral Company
. In 1879 he married Harriette Ann née Mosman, sister of the wife of his political colleague Arthur Palmer
; she mothered his fourth legitimate daughter in 1881.
McIlwraith was elected to the Legislative Assembly
for Maranoa in 1868.
He joined the ministry of Arthur Macalister
in January 1874 becoming Secretary for Public Works and Mines. He resigned from these posts in October of that year.
The government of John Douglas
was defeated in 1879 after a series of severe drought
s and McIlwraith became Premier for the first time. He quickly worked to ameliorate the colony's finances and with the assistance of a return of agricultural prosperity he turned the budget deficit into a surplus
. Queensland at this stage was seeing increasing numbers of immigrants and McIlwraith oversaw the colony's economic development. The McIlwraith government introduced the divisional system of local government
to the larger part of Queensland and assisted in establishing a postal service
through the Torres Strait Islands
. In 1882 he was knighted.
The Australian colonies were extremely anxious about German
colonial activities in the region, and, when it became clear that the German government was planning to annex eastern New Guinea
, to Queensland's north, on 4 April 1883, McIlwraith took the extraordinary step of attempting to annex it for Queensland. This was disallowed by the British
Secretary of State for the Colonies
, Lord Derby
on the basis that a colonial government had no authority to annex other colonies. Yet it was at the same time suggested that the British government the annexation of New Guinea if the Australian colonies would combine to finance the venture. This was then instrumental in the gathering of an Intercolonial Convention in November and December 1883, with federation and annexation on its agenda. It was the first step to unite the Australian colonies in an federation movement. The result was that orders were finally given to establish British New Guinea, as a protectorate on the southern coast of eastern coast of New Guinea on 6th of November 1884. However, well informed the German Navy had secretly landed annexing he northern coast under the name ‘Kaiser-Wilhelmsland
’ three days earlier. But the news about German New Guinea
was successfully kept a secret until finally the news finally broke on 22nd Dec that year.
In 1883 a government proposal to raise funds for the construction of a transcontinental railway line by a system of land grants was attacked for corruption
in allocation of grants. McIlwraith lost office to his rival, Samuel Griffith
, in November and retired from politics in 1886.
He returned to the Parliament in 1888, this time as member for North Brisbane
. His party won a majority in the elections and he again became Premier and Treasurer. He came into conflict with the colony's Governor, Sir Anthony Musgrave
over the exercise of the royal pardon. Musgrave died in October and McIlwraith petitioned the new Colonial Secretary Lord Knutsford
, to allow the Queensland government to be consulted on the choice of Governor. Knutsford refused and appointed Sir Harry Blake
. In November of that year ill-health forced him to resign in favour of Boyd Dunlop Morehead. He travelled to China
and Japan
.
After his return, McIlwraith's relationship with his colleagues had detoriorated, and in August 1890 he formed an alliance (later known as the "Continuous Ministry
") with his erstwhile foe to become Treasurer in the government of Sir Samuel Griffith
. In March 1893 Griffith stepped down to join the Supreme Court of Queensland
and McIlwraith became Premier again. His health was still poor and in October he resigned in favour of Hugh Nelson
, contenting himself with the cabinet position of Chief Secretary and secretary for railways until 29 March 1895.
The Dictionary of Australian of Biography says:
Although he left for England on 15 January 1895, he was still a minister of the Queensland cabinet until 25 November 1897 when the Labor Party with government support succeeded in passing a resolution that he should retire. On 9 December he resigned from the Executive Council.
He died in London
on 17 July 1900 and was buried at Ayr.
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. He was Premier of Queensland from 1877 to 1883, again in 1888, and for a third time in 1893. In common with most politicians of his era, McIlwraith was an influential businessman, who combined his parliamentary career with a prosperous involvement in the pastoral industry
Pastoralism
Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...
.
Early life
Thomas McIlwraith was born in AyrAyr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1835, one of four sons of John McIlwraith, plumber and shipowner, and his wife Janet Hamilton née Howat. His eldest brother, John (1828–1902), migrated to 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....
in 1853; his youngest brother, Andrew (1844–1932), co-founded McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co in London with Malcolm McEacharn
Malcolm McEacharn
Sir Malcolm Donald McEacharn was Mayor of Melbourne from 1897 to 1900. He was a well-known Australian shipping magnate in the early part of the twentieth century and successfully stood for the Division of Melbourne at the inaugural federal election, held in 1901.- Early life :McEacharn was born in...
.
He studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
Australia
His brother John's success in MelbourneMelbourne
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...
persuaded him, in 1854, to migrate to Victoria where he worked as a surveyor and engineer for the Department of Railways, and subsequently as a partner with Messrs Cornish and Bruce, railway contractors. He also invested in eight pastoral holdings in the Maranoa
Maranoa, Queensland
The Maranoa is the name given to an area of southern Queensland. Some refer to the Maranoa as the Western Downs. The Maranoa is an eastern part of the larger, mostly arid South West region of Queensland...
district in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
He retained close relations with his brother John, and on 6 June 1863 married Margaret Whannell, sister of John's wife. They had three daughters, Jessie (b.1866), Mary (b.1868) and Blanche (b.1872). He eventually moved to Queensland, but Margaret was reluctant to live in isolated Merivale station. In 1871 she visited Merivale, but soon returned to Melbourne for Blanche's birth. In 1874 they decided to live in Brisbane. Thomas found that she was drinking heavily, and sent her to Scotland where she died in 1877. McIlwraith fathered an illegitimate daughter in Victoria. In 1877 McIlwraith was a founding partner of the North Australian Pastoral Company
North Australian Pastoral Company
The North Australian Pastoral Company is a large, privately owned, Australian cattle company which operates 13 cattle stations covering over 60,000 km2, managing about 200,000 cattle, in the Northern Territory and Queensland...
. In 1879 he married Harriette Ann née Mosman, sister of the wife of his political colleague Arthur Palmer
Arthur Hunter Palmer
Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer KCMG was an Irish-Australian politician and a Premier of Queensland.Palmer was born in Armagh, Ireland, the son of Lieutenant Arthur Palmer, R.N., and his wife, Emily née Hunter. Palmer was educated at Youghal Grammar School and a private tutor in Dublin...
; she mothered his fourth legitimate daughter in 1881.
Parliamentary career
Whilst working for J V A Bruce, he represented his employers in a dispute with the Victorian government, and attracted public attention. In 1864 he contested the Sandhurst seat in the Victorian Legislative Assembly but won few votes as a free trader.McIlwraith was elected to the Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
for Maranoa in 1868.
He joined the ministry of Arthur Macalister
Arthur Macalister
Arthur Macalister, CMG was three times Premier of Queensland, Australia.-Early life:Macalister was born in Glasgow, Scotland, son of John Macalister, a cabinet maker, and his wife Mary, née Scoullar. Macalister was educated in Glasgow and emigrated to Australia with his wife Elizabeth Wallace née...
in January 1874 becoming Secretary for Public Works and Mines. He resigned from these posts in October of that year.
The government of John Douglas
John Douglas (Queensland politician)
John Douglas CMG was an Anglo-Australian politician and Premier of Queensland.Douglas was born in London, the seventh son of Henry Alexander Douglas and his wife Elizabeth Dalzell, daughter of the Earl of Carnwarth...
was defeated in 1879 after a series of severe drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
s and McIlwraith became Premier for the first time. He quickly worked to ameliorate the colony's finances and with the assistance of a return of agricultural prosperity he turned the budget deficit into a surplus
Economic surplus
In mainstream economics, economic surplus refers to two related quantities. Consumer surplus or consumers' surplus is the monetary gain obtained by consumers because they are able to purchase a product for a price that is less than the highest price that they would be willing to pay...
. Queensland at this stage was seeing increasing numbers of immigrants and McIlwraith oversaw the colony's economic development. The McIlwraith government introduced the divisional system of local government
Local government in Queensland
Local government in the Australian state of Queensland describes the institutions and processes by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1993-2007. Queensland is divided into 73 local government areas which may be called Cities,...
to the larger part of Queensland and assisted in establishing a postal service
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
through the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
. In 1882 he was knighted.
The Australian colonies were extremely anxious about German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
colonial activities in the region, and, when it became clear that the German government was planning to annex eastern New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, to Queensland's north, on 4 April 1883, McIlwraith took the extraordinary step of attempting to annex it for Queensland. This was disallowed by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, Lord Derby
Edward Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby
Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby KG, PC, FRS , known as Lord Stanley from 1844 to 1869, was a British statesman...
on the basis that a colonial government had no authority to annex other colonies. Yet it was at the same time suggested that the British government the annexation of New Guinea if the Australian colonies would combine to finance the venture. This was then instrumental in the gathering of an Intercolonial Convention in November and December 1883, with federation and annexation on its agenda. It was the first step to unite the Australian colonies in an federation movement. The result was that orders were finally given to establish British New Guinea, as a protectorate on the southern coast of eastern coast of New Guinea on 6th of November 1884. However, well informed the German Navy had secretly landed annexing he northern coast under the name ‘Kaiser-Wilhelmsland
Kaiser-Wilhelmsland
Kaiser-Wilhelmsland was part of the German New Guinea, the South Pacific protectorate of the German Empire. Named in honor of Wilhelm II, who was the German Emperor and King of Prussia, it included the north-eastern part of the present day Papua New Guinea. From 1884 until 1918, the territory...
’ three days earlier. But the news about German New Guinea
German New Guinea
German New Guinea was the first part of the German colonial empire. It was a protectorate from 1884 until 1914 when it fell to Australia following the outbreak of the First World War. It consisted of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups...
was successfully kept a secret until finally the news finally broke on 22nd Dec that year.
In 1883 a government proposal to raise funds for the construction of a transcontinental railway line by a system of land grants was attacked for corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in allocation of grants. McIlwraith lost office to his rival, Samuel Griffith
Samuel Griffith
Sir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
, in November and retired from politics in 1886.
He returned to the Parliament in 1888, this time as member for North Brisbane
Electoral district of North Brisbane
North Brisbane was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1878 to 1888.North Brisbane was a two-member constituency, created in 1878 by a merger of Brisbane City with one member and Wickham also with one member.It was replaced/renamed by...
. His party won a majority in the elections and he again became Premier and Treasurer. He came into conflict with the colony's Governor, Sir Anthony Musgrave
Anthony Musgrave
Sir Anthony Musgrave KCMG was a colonial administrator and governor. He was born at St John’s, Antigua, the third of 11 children of Anthony Musgrave and Mary Harris Sheriff...
over the exercise of the royal pardon. Musgrave died in October and McIlwraith petitioned the new Colonial Secretary Lord Knutsford
Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford
Henry Thurstan Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford GCMG, PC , known as Sir Henry Holland, Bt, from 1873 to 1888 and as The Lord Knutsford from 1888 to 1895, was a British Conservative politician, best known for serving as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1887 to 1892.-Background and...
, to allow the Queensland government to be consulted on the choice of Governor. Knutsford refused and appointed Sir Harry Blake
Harry Blake
Harry Cooper Blake was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played in the late 19th century....
. In November of that year ill-health forced him to resign in favour of Boyd Dunlop Morehead. He travelled to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
After his return, McIlwraith's relationship with his colleagues had detoriorated, and in August 1890 he formed an alliance (later known as the "Continuous Ministry
Continuous Ministry
The Continuous Ministry or Continuous Cabinet was an informal designation used to describe two nineteenth century colonial governments: in Queensland, Australia from 1890 to 1899; and in New Zealand from 1876 to 1890 except for 1877-79 & 1884-87....
") with his erstwhile foe to become Treasurer in the government of Sir Samuel Griffith
Samuel Griffith
Sir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
. In March 1893 Griffith stepped down to join the Supreme Court of Queensland
Supreme Court of Queensland
The Supreme Court of Queensland, which is based at the Law Courts Complex, is the superior court for the Australian State of Queensland and sits around the middle of the Australian court hierarchy...
and McIlwraith became Premier again. His health was still poor and in October he resigned in favour of Hugh Nelson
Hugh Nelson
Sir Hugh Muir Nelson, KCMG was Premier of Queensland from 1893 to 1898.Nelson was born at Kilmarnock, Scotland. His father, Dr William Lambie Nelson, was elected to the first Queensland parliament in 1860 but was unseated because he was a minister of religion...
, contenting himself with the cabinet position of Chief Secretary and secretary for railways until 29 March 1895.
The Dictionary of Australian of Biography says:
- McIlwraith was a big man with big ideas, but his indifferent health did not allow him to successfully carry the full burden of them. He was rugged and masterful, possibly on occasions not over-scrupulous, with a habit of getting his own way by sheer force of character rather than by intellectual ability. For nearly 25 years he was one of the greatest personalities in Queensland.
After politics
Since 1888 the London directors of McIlwraith's Queensland Investment and Land Mortgage Co. had complained about the practices of the local board, and in 1892 they charged McIlwraith, Palmer and two others with fraud. The remaining years of his life were surrounded in financial scandal and large financial losses by institution that he was involved with.Although he left for England on 15 January 1895, he was still a minister of the Queensland cabinet until 25 November 1897 when the Labor Party with government support succeeded in passing a resolution that he should retire. On 9 December he resigned from the Executive Council.
He died in 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...
on 17 July 1900 and was buried at Ayr.